The Terre Haute Human Relations Commission has toiled in anonymity so long that even its current executive director, Anne-Therese Ryan, didn’t know it was first established in 1969.
“I didn’t know that the commission existed in the ‘60s,” she said in a recent interview. She went to the library and went through its archives and an employee found a carton full of documents labeled “1969-1970?” The question mark is not a typo.
“In my curiosity, I sat down and went through it,” Ryan said. “They did struggle at the beginning.”
It struggled more recently, too, but that time appears over.
For most of its life, the Human Relations Commission has flown way beneath the radar in the public’s mind. In Ryan’s 2024 annual report — the first issued by the organization — she concedes past issues plagued those who preceded her in the position.
“The commission has faced several years of disruption due to staff and commissioner turnover,” it reads.
Its recent past underscores that. Jordan Lough, who had been the commission’s executive director since 2020, resigned unexpectedly at a City Council meeting in February of 2022. She was replaced by Amy Sanghavi, who assumed the role in January of 2023 and resigned to take a job at a law firm a few months later, paving the way for Ryan, who took the position in late 2023.
Ryan, by contrast, elevated the Human Relations Commission’s presence in the city throughout 2024, partnering on projects with the Greater Terre Haute Branch of the NAACP and the Terre Haute 10 and on activities with the Terre Haute Children's Museum and the Boys and Girls Club.
“For the most part, it’s been a really positive year,” Ryan said. “I can sympathize with my predecessors because I feel like I got a little bit lucky with the timing of it all. “Coming in, there’s a new (mayoral) administration with a lot of energy and people are looking for what’s new, and it happened to work out positively in that way.”
Reaching out
Once she had the job, Ryan — known as “AT” among friends — had a two- hour conversation with Sylvester Edwards, president of the Greater Terre Haute Branch of the NAACP.
Edwards said, “No other director had asked me to work with them. It’s easier to get things done with a partnership.” He added, “She’s on top of it all. She’s there to do the job others have not. The word’s out. She’s gonna be here for a while.” Mayor Brandon Sakbun said, “She is an incredible young woman, and definitely over-performs. She does so much more than her role — she helps me a lot with special projects, as well. … AT was pivotal in implementing free (bus fares) for the city.” Ryan also met with other community leaders. “I took it upon myself to start cold-calling to community members, and asking what do you see the role of this office in the community, what things would you like to see be done differently,” she recalled, “and I would end those conversations with, ‘Is there anyone else in town should I talk to?’” Ryan said she considers Mary Howard-Hamilton, chair of the Terre Haute 10 and head of Indiana State University’s Bayh College of Educational Leadership, “a mentor.”
Ryan also appears frequently at City Council meetings, often giving the group updates on her activities.
“AT Ryan has done an amazing job as Executive Director of the Human Relations Commission,” said City Councilman Curtis DeBaun IV. “She works hard, is passionate about our community, and has really lifted the profile of the commission.”
“She’s very present,” said Councilman Jim Chalos. “She really communicates with us — I can’t think of a time when I sent her an email or called that she didn’t return that. The information she provides is invaluable in helping us make decisions on things.”
During 2024, the commission also helped a dozen residents file formalized complaints — most involving housing and race — by hooking them up with the proper agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Advancing the cause
Ryan advanced the commission’s cause even as the principles of DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — have encountered growing skepticism over the past year. As Sakbun observed, “The term ‘equity’ has become politicized.”
“Folks see a Black History Month banner and some people’s immediate reaction is, ‘Well, why not my history?’” Ryan said. “And I don’t want it to feel that we have a finite number of ways to celebrate and recognize people. … We can honor people who overcame all odds. We can all recognize that people who overcome adversity are inspirational.
“It’s hard to be up against people against diversity,” she conceded, “but I try not to make that the thing that keeps me up at nights.”
“How do we keep promoting that when you live in Terre Haute, it doesn’t matter if you’re White, Black, Asian, it doesn’t matter who you love?” Sakbun said. “This is a community that is focused on progress and growing — we’re going to eliminate some of those barriers and we’re going to get out there and love our hometown.”
The commission also is working to update the Black History Month banners that are displayed downtown. About 30 people have been nominated for new banners by local residents. She is compiling a list of those nominations but is leaving the final decisions as to who will appear on the banners to the selection committee. An announcement on those who made the cut will be made later this month.
Last year, the City Council expanded the commission’s responsibilities and rewrote the City Code to make it easier to appoint the best candidates to the commission. Three new members will be appointed to the Commission in 2025, one chosen by Sakbun and two by the City Council.
The Commission is co-sponsoring two events commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Mayor Sakbun will read the children’s book “Martin’s Big Words” by Doreen Rappaport from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 18 at the Vigo County Public Library, 680 Poplar St.
Another free event, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Vigo County History Center at 929 Wabash Ave., will feature a panel discussion on King’s legacy.
The commission’s annual report can be found at bit.ly/3WaSBkq.
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