Mayor Zohran Mamdani names Christine Clarke new head of NYC Human Rights Commission

Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News on Jan 7, 2026

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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani appointed a new head of the city Human Rights Commission, picking Christine Clarke, previously a litigator at Legal Services NYC, to serve in the role.

Clarke will replace Annabel Palma. Palma was originally tapped to lead the commission by ex-Mayor Bill de Blasio and was reappointed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022.

“We will make this city more just, and we will do so as New Yorkers, not by shying away from complexity or conflict, but by confronting what we know to be wrong wherever it arises,” Mamdani said at a Jackson Heights, Queens, news conference announcing Clarke’s appointment.

The commission is tasked with investigating complaints of discrimination and other human rights law violations.

“That work has never been more important, and the person entrusted to lead it has never been more important, either,” Mamdani said, praising Clarke for her dedication “to fighting for New Yorkers who need a champion.”

Clarke named housing as one of her priorities, saying that she aims to improve on yearslong delays tenants with discrimination complaints have faced, per a December report from the state comptroller’s office.

“Ultimately,” she said, “no matter where you were born, what language you speak, what religion you practice, whether you have a disability, your race or ethnicity, your gender identity or your sexual orientation, if you live here, you are a New Yorker, and I promise as the chair of the Commission on Human Rights to work with you and to fight for you.”

Clarke will work under Julie Su, Mamdani’s deputy mayor for economic justice.

The mayor also on Wednesday appointed Simonia Brown as a top policy adviser to focus on executing Mamdani’s affordability agenda in Albany. Brown previously worked in de Blasio’s state legislative affairs office.