Mónica Palacio
civil rights attorney, ACTIVIST, executive LEADER
ABOUT
Mónica Palacio is a civil rights lawyer who has dedicated her life’s work to fighting for social and economic justice. For ten years, she led the DC Office of Human Rights, one of the largest and most successful civil rights agencies of its kind. Serving under two Mayors in Washington, DC, she designed and fought for resources across a continuum of access to justice and equity programs and became the first de facto chief equity officer for the city of Washington, DC. In 2020, Mónica was the first Latina to run for a seat on the City Council for Washington DC. She is also the CEO and founder of DP Consulting.
Despite paying 4 billion dollars per year in federal taxes, residents of Washington, DC have no voice in the U.S. government with no vote in Congress. Yet the city’s budget is controlled by Congress, which has actively prevented progress in the District of Columbia, such as stopping gun control initiatives. Mónica explains how this inequality came to be, and like other civil rights injustices before, why it needs to change.
2016 TED TALK
Mónica served as the director of the DC Office of Human Rights
For over 10 years, she led the efforts for thorough and efficient investigations of discrimination and innovative approaches for reporting discrimination and educating residents about the District’s human rights laws.
At the Office of Human Rights, Mónica supported the expansion of the Language Access Program. In the District, regardless of what language you speak, you have the right to receive information and services from the DC government in your native language.
The Language Access Program works with District agencies to make this right a reality for residents, workers, and visitors who are limited or non-English proficient (LEP/NEP).
Mónica led the expansion of Language Access for the district of columbia
Trajectory
Mónica began her career as an advocate for youth affected by exposure to the criminal justice system and violence in their communities. After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center where she worked on juvenile justice issues, Mónica led community violence prevention work across the U.S. as Training Director for the National Crime Prevention Council. As a master facilitator with the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) she led coalition building programs to support African American and Latinx community leaders. Her anti-racism projects took her from Austin, Texas to Allentown, PA, and from Washington, DC to Santurce, Puerto Rico and Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
“If DC had not evolved into an historically black city; if race did not at all play a role in DC’s right to self-governance and self-determination, would we still be denied the right to vote today?”
Mónica Palacio • CEO and Founder
MóniCA’S INTERVIEW ON THE DC Human Rights Act
In 1977, the District passed the DC Human Rights Act, one of the most expansive local civil rights laws to date. In this video filmed on the 40th anniversary of this anti-discrimination law, Mónica Palacio discusses the power and potential of this law to make DC a safer, more inclusive city for all.
Mónica’s Contributions to Washington DC’s Fair Housing Program
At the Office of Human Rights (OHR), Mónica supported the launch and implementation of the Fair Housing Program. The goal of fair housing in the District is to establish a robust framework for safe, secure, and affordable housing, ensuring residents are free from discrimination and other obstacles.
Mónica played a pivotal role in this fair housing, investigating housing discrimination complaints and conducting community outreach and education to prevent discriminatory practices.
experience
For over twenty years she has helped transform leaders, teams and communities seeking greater impact over systems designed to harm historically under-resourced communities. Her passion for ending anti-black racism, xenophobia and ableism and all mistreatment of people is rooted in her lived experiences as a Latina immigrant, mother and sister. Mónica is a proud Colombian-American Latina, born in Bogota, Colombia. She received her undergraduate degree from Fordham University before moving to Washington, DC to attend law school.