DETROIT — The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) recently appointed Charles Schoder as the Civil Rights Specialist and Liaison to the Arab American Community, replacing former Civil Rights Specialist Leila Saba-Hanna, who after a car accident was unable to continue fulfilling her duties. 

Schoder is not new to the MDCR.  He has been involved with the department for over 18 years, working as an investigator on special cases involving employment, education, housing, law enforcement, public accommodation and public service complaints. 

Schoder, who is of Lebanese, Polish and German descent, grew up in Southeast Detroit and attended both private and public schools in Detroit and Dearborn. He graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s in Administration and is currently attending the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he is working on his Masters in Public Administration.

Schoder attributes his diverse background as the driving force for his deep-rooted involvement with the MDCR.

“As an Arab American, Polish American and German American, and simply as an American, I have a strong, first hand, sense of diversity and inclusion for all groups in Michigan. Without it, I very well may not be here,” Schoder says. 

In March, The Arab American News ran a story, acknowledging the 50th Anniversary of the MDCR Commission, which the only civil rights commission that is recognized by the State constitution. Today, MDCR is one of 18 departments funded by the State. However, several Arab American leaders have criticized the department for failing to represent the Arab American community accordingly and have called for better representation. 

Charles Schoder.

Schoder says that it will be a top priority of his to tackle this issue, by being more accessible to the community.  He says that it may have been a difficult task for the department in the past to reach out to all of Michigan’s communities. Since he began employment with the department in 1995, he has seen the department’s employee roster dwindle from a few hundred, down to just around 100 employees today.

“As the newly appointed Arab and Middle Eastern Liaison, I know that I have an important role. I’ve already met with various members of the community and attended several functions. I’ve listened to the civil rights issues that they face. Our biggest issue is attempting to provide services under the economic climate. My colleagues and I pride ourselves in our work. However, providing the type of service that we can be proud of requires more work than ever before,” Schoder says. 

As a Liaison, he hopes to be a voice for the community. Living in Wyandotte, he currently works out of the department’s Detroit office, within the Cadillac Building downtown.  He is a Liaison for all of Wayne County, as well as areas like Flint, Saginaw and Port Huron.  He works under the commission that is appointed by Governor Rick Snyder and is able to convey messages back to the commission when needed.  

He says that he was able to grasp some community issues by recently attending a BRIDGES meeting that was held at the Islamic Center of America, several days after the Boston Marathon bombings. He believes that increased profiling does, in fact, seem to occur at borders and in airports, especially after traumatic events like the Boston incident.  

“After incidents like the Boston bombings, men and women feel more scrutiny at borders and airports. No one likes the added inconvenience and embarrassment, but some have shared the understanding of heightened security at times. Nevertheless, we work tirelessly to make sure that residents and visitors are treated fairly, no matter their race, religion, ethnicity, or other protected class,” Schoder added.  

Serving as a Liaison to the community is only one half of his job with the department. Schoder is also the leader of the department’s Crisis Response Team, which has him in charge of responding to hate crimes and biased treatment complaints that are received on a daily basis. His duties require him to thoroughly investigate each case and hand them off to other enforcement, if necessary. 

Schoder says that he is looking forward to the remainder of MDCR’s 50-city tour that was launched in celebration of the department’s 50th anniversary. The goal of the tour will be to hold training and education seminars with local residents and leaders on how complaints can be filed and what resources are available to them. The MDCR is planning a stop in Dearborn this November, although there is no confirmed venue for this event yet.

“As we start planning these stops, we identify who the leaders are and which community members should be involved. We haven’t selected a venue yet, or even determined how we will construct it. We want to hear from the community on how we should go about it. It will depend on the needs and pressing issues of the community at that time,” Schoder says. 

To contact Schoder, you can email him at schoderc@michigan.gov. For more information on the MDCR, or to file a complaint, visit the Cadillac Place in Detroit, located at 3054 West Grand Boulevard, Suite 3-600, or call 313.456.3798.