Rudy Simms has been working for the fair treatment of all Americans for most of his life. Now as the new executive director of the Des Moines Human Rights Commission, he feels as though he isn’t just an advocate for the cause but also an educator, helping remind new generations of the struggle for human and civil rights.

How did you come into this position?

I’ve always had an interest in human and civil rights. It’s not the first time I have applied for the head job at a human rights commission. I remember applying in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. I was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, and I lived in Des Moines for the last 33 years. Now I’m working the kind of job and the type of work I was always interested in.

What motivated you to get involved in this field?

I imagine I was motivated by the civil rights movement. I was probably around 12 years old when I saw Martin Luther King and the actions of the movement going across the television set. I think that was my inspiration to try to make a difference in trying to make our communities a better place for all of us.

What brought you to Des Moines?

I took a job with a highway contractor as the affirmative action director. When I took the job, they said in the next four or five years they might merge with a company in Des Moines. They did it within six months, and so I wound up in Des Moines.

What do you hope to accomplish now that you’ve achieved this position?

I hope to give a sense of justice and fairness to all the clientele that may cross the path of the commission. I hope I’ll have the ability to educate the public to make them more aware of the laws, rules and regulations surrounding employment, housing, etc. But education is the key. There needs to be a consistent and constant effort to avoid forgetting why this is important and where we came from. There is a terrible impact on communities when we don’t enforce civil rights.

How difficult has it been to get people to understand the importance of human rights?

It seems like we sometimes have to learn the hard lessons all over again. We get into a slump that says that we’ve done OK and accomplished what we need to. I’ve always said that the biggest mistake made after the civil rights movement is that they failed to put in a structure that would teach future generations the importance of civil rights, human rights and treating one another with dignity and respect. The entire country is trying to promote good civil and human rights, and none of us have succeeded to the extent that commissions like this would go out of business. That, of course is the goal, but it won’t happen any time soon.

Who are your heroes in this movement?

Well of course, Martin Luther King is the icon for this type of work, but I look up to a lot of folks that cleared the path here in Des Moines. People who’ve had a positive impact on the community and people respect. There are just too many to list all of them. One of my greatest inspirations was a fifth-grade English teacher who kept me in after school to make sure my cursive was correct and neat. That taught me a lot about self discipline. I’ve also had people compliment me on my signature.

Have you instilled in your children this passion for human rights?

I have two children. My daughter works for [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] in Kansas City and my son is a clinical pathologist in the Dallas area. I never pushed any of my passion off onto them. I left it in their hands to find their own direction. The public life wasn’t their calling, but they understand why it is so important.

What do you think you bring to this position?

I bring the passion to be fair and just. The passion to help people understand the pitfalls of discrimination and how to climb out of it. I’m just one month in and this job is a little bit more complicated than one might anticipate. We’re short-staffed and underfunded, but that is the reality and part of the job. This job is a myriad of responsibility. I hope to be here for a while. I don’t know what else would come along. This is what I really love to do. I get to speak to classrooms from elementary to college level about discrimination and human rights.

– Jason Hancock