We are excited to announce that Cohen Seglias attorney Brionna Denby was recently appointed to the Wilmington Civil Rights Commission, a seven-member appointed body charged with supporting diversity, equality, equity, and the understanding of civil and human rights. The commission is also charged with dismantling injustice, discrimination, bigotry, hatred, and harassment. The seven members will meet at least quarterly to review any reported cases of discrimination and to educate the public about equal rights and opportunities for all persons in Wilmington.

The other members of the commission are:

• Garrison Davis (Council appointee) is a graduate of the University of Delaware where he majored in Organizational & Community Leadership. His experience includes working at West Side Grows Together through the Public Allies Program and serving in the US Peace Corps as a Community Development Volunteer in Moldova.
• Nate Durant (Administration appointee) is currently the Co-Head of School at the Freire Charter School in Wilmington. Nate is a former science teacher at Thomas Edison School in the City. His community involvement includes various leadership positions with the Cool Spring Neighborhood Association, including serving as the organization’s President.
• Luz D. Maldonado (Administration appointee) is the mother of a five-year-old daughter and is a longtime resident of Wilmington’s West Side. She has been employed for the past 15 years by the Red Clay Consolidated School District as a classroom teacher and school counselor. Ms. Maldonado currently works at the Lewis Dual Language Elementary in the Cool Spring neighborhood. She part of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports TSS, which helps schools to organize levels of supports based on intensity so that students receive necessary instruction and interventions based on need. Luz previously served as a member of Los Jardines (Senior Housing) Board and was a co-organizer of the grassroots group Voces Sin Fronteras/Voices without Borders.
• John Mitchell (Administration appointee) was born, raised, and still lives in Wilmington. He attended Howard High School and Delaware State University. John’s professional career began in 1975 at the former ICI Americas in the Facility Management Division and he is presently employed as the Executive Chauffeur for AstraZeneca. John’s passion is being an advocate for change in his community and serving others, having served previously on the board of the Central Baptist Church Community Development Corporation, as vice president of the Inter Neighborhood Foundation, and as a board member and vice president of Brandywine Gateway Neighbors. John is a proud member of the Hawks, a community service group formed by the late William “Hicks” Anderson at the Kingswood Community Center.
• Amy O’Neill (Administration appointee) is part of a Wilmington family that has lived in the City for many generations. She is currently Principal of Baltz Elementary School and is the former Assistant Principal at the Lewis Dual Language Elementary School in Wilmington.
• Kathleen Patterson (Council appointee) is employed at Longwood Gardens and has extensive community outreach experience. She currently volunteers at Lutheran Services Food Pantry, the St. Patrick’s Day Society and was a past president of the Second District Neighborhood Planning Council and is now a member of the 9th Ward Civic Association.