The Michigan Constitution establishes the Michigan Civil Rights Commission, and the Department of Civil Rights was established to carry out the Commission's responsibility to "investigate alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin in the enjoyment of the civil rights guaranteed by law and by this Constitution, and to secure the equal protection of such civil rights without such discrimination."

Although the department has embarked on activities outside this narrow charter, this report does not include a detailed analysis of these operations, and therefore no program changes are recommended at this time.