Catholic Human Relations Council (Los Angeles, Calif.)

The Catholic Human Relations Council (CHRC) was founded in Los Angeles in 1963 and officially incorporated in January 1964, with the purpose to "promote better relations among the people of this community ..." Its first president was Emil J. Seliga, who was succeeded by Horace Williams. Although a Catholic organization, membership was open to non-Catholics as well. The CHRC worked for school integration in Los Angeles and lobbied against legislation considered harmful to civil rights in California. It was also a strong supporter of Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers' strike against the owners of vineyards in California. The Catholic Human Relations Council participated in some of the major issues of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.