Legal Services NYC Congratulates Christine Clarke on Her Appointment as Chair and Commissioner of the New York City Commission on Human Rights

NEW YORK, NY – Legal Services NYC (LSNYC) congratulates Christine Clarke on her appointment today by Mayor Zohran Mamdani as Chair and Commissioner of the NYC Commission on Human Rights, an agency charged with protecting the City’s most vulnerable from discrimination and hate. Clarke, currently Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at LSNYC, brings with her a lifetime of civil rights and litigation experience fighting on behalf of New Yorkers in need. 

“We are thrilled for Christine Clarke on her appointment today” said Shervon Small, Executive Director of Legal Services NYC. “Although it is our loss, I cannot think of a better choice to lead the City’s civil rights enforcement agency at a time when civil rights are under attack from virtually every direction. Christine has been deeply passionate about her work fighting for low-income New Yorkers at Legal Services NYC and I have no doubt she will bring that same passion and dedication to her new role and continue to fight for our clients every single day.” 

Clarke’s passion for fighting for the rights of marginalized communities and ensuring access to justice has been a driving force throughout her career. As the Chief of Litigation and Advocacy at LSNYC, Clarke oversaw a number of high impact litigation and advocacy efforts, including litigation to ensure better language access for immigrant and LEP New Yorkers across City agencies, litigation defending the entirety of NYC’s rent stabilization laws against landlord attacks, and advocacy efforts to prioritize the safety of survivors of domestic violence and the due process rights of immigrants. Clarke is a graduate of Oberlin College and Yale Law School, where she was an editor of the Human Rights and Development Law Journal and a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association.

“I am truly honored to serve as Chair and Commissioner of the NYC Commission on Human Rights as part of Mayor Mamdani’s administration. It is a great responsibility and one that I have the utmost respect and admiration for,” said Christine Clarke. “Anyone who calls New York their home is a New Yorker, no matter where you were born, what languages you speak, what religion you practice, whether you have a disability, your race, gender identity or sexual orientation. As the Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights, I promise to work with and fight for all New Yorkers. Together, we can make a City where everyone can not only survive, but thrive. Thank you, Mayor Mamdani. I cannot wait to get started.”

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Legal Services NYC fights poverty and seeks racial, social, and economic justice for low-income New Yorkers. For over 50 years, LSNYC has challenged systemic injustices that trap people in poverty and helped clients meet basic needs for housing, income and economic security, family and immigration stability, education, and health care. Our staff of dedicated advocates have deep roots in the communities we serve so New Yorkers and their families can access the services, resources, and protections they need to survive. www.legalservicesnyc.org