Where to File Civil Rights Complaints
If you are in immediate danger or are injured, please stop reading further and dial 911.
On this page, we provide a comprehensive list of state and national organizations/departments to which AAAs can file discrimination and harassment complaints. For each state organization/department, we outline the areas (e.g., employment, housing, education) that fall under its jurisdiction. For various reasons, the most commonly protected areas are: employment, housing, education, and public accommodations. However, discrimination is complex and can take place in many contexts other than the five above.
Thus if you are discriminated in contexts other than those protected by your state organizations, please consult the National Organizations/Departments that Handle Civil Rights Complaints section for more resources.
In most cases, organizations and departments outlined on this website provide ready-to-use forms. However, an organization may occasionally require the complainant to contact them via email or letter in order to initiate the complaint process.
To make this process less strenuous, we have created a template that anyone may use at no charge.
As a general rule of thumb, before filing a complaint, you should gather the following information:
Date and location of the incident
Description (name, location, etc.) of the alleged offender
Names and contact information of any potential witnesses
A detailed description of the incident
Make sure to keep a copy of any documents that bear relevant information, including medical records, receipts, emails, and letters
Regional Organizations / Departments that Handle Civil Rights Complaints
New York
Hate Crimes Task Force | Hate crime | Toll-free: 1-888-392-3644/ Text "HATE" to 81336 | Residents who have experienced bias-motivated threats, harassment or discrimination are encouraged to call the toll-free hotline from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. open Monday-Friday. If you need to report a crime or fear your safety, call 911 immediately. Reports can also be filed online.
New York State Division of Human Rights Employment | Education; Credit; Purchasing or renting a home or commercial space; others | Tel: 718-741-8300 | Email: complaints@dhr.ny.gov | Address: One Fordham Plaza, 4th Floor, Bronx, NY 10458 | New York state government's information page on when and how to file a civil rights complaint.
Civil Rights/Complaint Forms - New York Office of the Attorney General | Employment; Education; Credit; Purchasing or renting a home or commercial space; Others | Helpline: 1(800)771-7755 / Tel: (212)416-8250 | Address: Office of the Attorney General, Civil Rights Bureau, 28 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10005
California
STOP AAPI HATE Reporting Center | Asian American Specific | Hate violence; Adult harassment; Discrimination; Shunning; Child bullying | The Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCon)'s response to the rising xenophobia and bigotry resulting from the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Forms are available in English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Khmer.
Complaint Process (California) | Tel: 800-884-1684 (voice) | California state government's information page on how to initiate a complaint process against discrimination in workplace and housing.
Illinois
Illinois Department of Human Rights | Employment; Real estate transactions; Public accommodations; Financial credit | TEL: (312) 814-4294 | Email: IDHR.webmail@illinois.gov | Scroll down to "Charge Process" to see the instructions on each step of the filing process.
Washington
File a Complaint - Washington State Human Rights Commission | Employment; Housing; Public Accommodation; Credit and Insurance; Retaliation | Toll-Free: 1(800) 233-3247 | This website provides ready-to-use employment and public accommodation complaint forms. For housing and credit complaints, the website provides a phone number one can call for further instruction.
For more details on how to file complaints in every U.S. state, please check out our File a Complaint spreadsheet.
National Organizations / Departments that Handle Civil Rights Complaints
Get Help Now-U.S. Department of Justice | Hate Crimes | An overview on steps to take if you are a victim of a hate crime.
Hate Crimes-Victim Connect Resource Center | Hate Crimes | An overview on what a hate crime is, what can be done, and additional resources.
Civil Rights Complaint-Department of Health and Human Services | General | Toll-Free: 1-800-368-1019; TTD: 1-800-537-7697 | Useful for individuals who are discriminated against in contexts or areas that fall under the domain of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you believe that you have been discriminated against because of your race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or religion in programs or activities that HHS directly operates or to which HHS provides federal financial assistance, you may file a complaint with OCR using the OCR Complaint Portal. You may file a complaint for yourself or for someone else.
Discrimination and Harassment in Employment-Legal Aid at Work | Employment | An overview on what constitutes discrimination in employment and how to protect oneself when discriminated against.
Harassment and Employer Liability-U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Employment | Definition of harassment and an overview on employer liability for harassment.
What You Should Know-U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Employment | What to do if you believe you have been harassed at work.
Race/Color Discrimination-U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Employment | Definition of race-based discrimination; see upper right side of the page for the link to file a charge.
File a Charge-U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | Employment | Toll-free: 1-800-669-4000 | You can access the EEOC Public Portal to submit an inquiry form online and to schedule an intake interview. Please note: EEOC does not take charges over the phone; however, if you have any questions, calling them over the phone is a good way to discuss your situation and to get the process started.
File a Discrimination Complaint-U.S. Department of Education | Education | Information on when and how to file a discrimination complaint if one is discriminated in an educational setting. Page available in multiple languages.
File a Complaint-The United States Department of Justice| Everyday life; Education; Employment; Federal coordination and compliance; Housing and civil enforcement; Immigrant and employee rights | Page available in multiple languages.
File a Complaint-U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development | Housing | Departmental: (202) 708-1112; Intake Specialist: 1(800) 669-9777 | Complaints can be filed online, via email, or over the phone. Regional office addresses and phone numbers are linked to at the bottom of the page.
Local FBI Field Offices | Hate crime; General | Search for your local FBI field office to file an incident report for hate crimes. Please include as many details of the incident as possible, such as the dates and times; names of possible witnesses; and supporting documents, such as police and medical reports, or photographs.
Complaint Referral Service-U.S. Commission on Human Rights | Human Rights | USCCR's complaint referral service will place you in contact with the appropriate office for obtaining information about the complaint process. In addition to providing information specific to your situation, the referred office will be able to further assist you in the event you decide to initiate a discrimination complaint.
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If you would like to file a hate crime report, please call 911 or contact your local FBI field office, as instructed on the U.S. Department of Justice website.
Organizations and departments often provide more than one way to file complaints.
Given the severity of the COVID-19 virus, please consider filing online or over the phone instead of in person or via mail delivery.
We also encourage you to utilize the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ complaint referral service, which helps place you in contact with the appropriate office for obtaining information about the complaint process. The referred office will be able to provide you with information specific to your situation, and further assist you in the event you decide to initiate a discrimination complaint.
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We are all volunteers and not legal professionals. We are not affiliated with the organizations outlined on our website and cannot guarantee the quality of service provided by them. Any resources, including the letter template, should be utilized at the visitor’s own discretion.