MA Commission Against Discrimination Seal

The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) is the primary agency for

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...

, outreach, and training in the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. Following the recommendation of a 1944 committee appointed by

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Maurice Tobin to establish a commission to enforce laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, or ancestry, the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...

created the Fair Employment Practices Commission in 1946. The Commission took 96 complaints, conducted 60 interviews, and handled 500 phone inquiries in its first year alone. The name was changed to the current name in 1950 to reflect the expansion of its jurisdiction and power from employment to housing and public accommodations. A legal reporter with Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination cases, commentary, and subject matter indices is provided by Landlaw Inc. and MCAD decisions can also be found on Westlaw.com

Location

MCAD is located in Boston.

References

External links

MCAD homepage

MCAD Reporter
* . (Various documents). {{authority control Civil rights organizations in the United States Discrimination in Massachusetts Human rights enforcement agencies in the United States Commission Against Discrimination