DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Thursday in a release that she has nominated Mónica Palacio as Director of the District’s Office of Human Rights.
Acting Director Palacio previously served as Director of the Office of Human Rights for six years, and oversaw thousands of civil rights investigations during that time.
As a civil rights lawyer, a human rights advocate, and a government executive, she worked in DC for over 30 years, devoting her career to public service. She also ran for DC Council At-large 2020.
“Under her leadership, the agency doubled in size and became a pioneer enforcement agency. Acting Director Palacio led the enforcement of new laws protecting returning citizens, pregnant workers, and the LGBTQ community,” Bowser’s statement said.
The mission of the Office of Human Rights was resolving issues such as discrimination against DC residents based on their race, age, gender or disability in job applications, housing, and layoffs.
Among the organizations she partnered with as part of her job were Bread for the City, La Clínica del Pueblo, Casa Ruby, the Ethiopian Community Center, the Consumer Health Foundation, Mary’s Center, the Latin American Youth Center, and GLAA.
Palacio was born in Bogota, Colombia, and raised in New York City’s Lower East Side by a single mother in rent-controlled housing, according to her campaign website. She suffered from poverty and prejudice growing up. In 1990, she moved to DC to attend Georgetown University law school and has lived here ever since.
Palacio describes herself as “a proud Latina and mother of an 11-year-old son who attends a DC Public Charter School.”