Name: Expanding Protections: Equal Rights in Vermont and What We Need to Ensure Them
Start: 2026-09-25T13:30:00-0400
End: 2026-09-25T14:45:00-0400

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Expanding Protections: Equal Rights in Vermont and What We Need to Ensure Them

LIMITED

Friday September 25, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT

6. Zoom Room 1

Limited Capacity seats available

Much of the civil rights enforcement that the Human Rights Commission does in Vermont relies on our expanding list of Legally Protected Categories. These personal characteristics - race, gender identity, immigration status, disability, and many others - are part of the legal framework that makes discriminatory behavior unlawful. What is missing from that framework? Whose identity categories are not yet protected, and at what cost? What tools can we put in place to strengthen the civil rights enforcement we have, and ensure that the protections we're winning will stay strong for many years? This panel will walk us through the protections that exist, the ones that don't, and some of the strategies for bringing new protections to life.

Speakers

Big Hartman

Montpelier, VT, Executive Director and General Counsel

https://hrc.vermont.gov

Cary Brown

Executive Director, Vermont Commission on Women

Cary Brown is the Executive Director of the Vermont Commission on Women, an independent state agency dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women in Vermont. She’s worked in the field of gender equity for 30 years, in nonprofits, educational institutions, and government. She... Read More →

Emily Chamberlain Adams

Co-Director, Civil Rights Unit, Assistant Attorney General, Vermont Attorney General's Office

Emily Chamberlain Adams is an Assistant Attorney General and Co-Director of the Civil Rights Unit of the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. Emily’s work in the Civil Rights Unit focuses on employment discrimination enforcement, education, and litigation. In this role, she oversees... Read More →

Brenda Siegel

Executive Director, End Homelessness Vermont

Brenda Siegel is the Executive Director of End Homelessness Vermont, where she leads a lived experience driven approach to ending homelessness in the state. She is also a consultant on human services systems and policy, specializing in homelessness and housing, drug policy, and disability... Read More →

Friday September 25, 2026 1:30pm - 2:45pm EDT
6. Zoom Room 1 Virtual

Virtual, Track 2: Tools and Tactics for Community Power

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2026 Civil Rights Summit: We Have the Tools We Need

Big Hartman

Cary Brown

Emily Chamberlain Adams

Brenda Siegel

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Success you have shared X tickets.

2026 Civil Rights Summit: We Have the Tools We Need

Big Hartman

Cary Brown

Emily Chamberlain Adams

Brenda Siegel

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