The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a proclamation to commemorate today as “Dorothy Irene Height Day” to commemorate the life and legacy of the late civil rights icon on what would have been her 99th birthday.

The American Constitution Society (ACS) is accepting applications for the 2011 David Carliner Public Interest Award through March 14. The $10,000 award is for mid-career public interest lawyers whose work exemplifies its namesake' commitment to advocacy on behalf of marginalized people.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations that works to build an America that's as good as its ideals, recently sent a letter to Congress outlining its legislative priorities for the 112^th Congress.

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, was one of four recipients of The Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights today.  Recipients are honored for advocating "tirelessly for human rights, both at home and abroad."

"I cannot begin to tell you how humbled I am to receive this award in the name of Eleanor Roosevelt, whose devotion to civil and human rights gave birth to a set of universal principles that continue to transform our world for good," said Henderson.  "This award really belongs to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations working together for an America as good as its ideals."

In the award-winning young adult novel, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," Sherman Alexie creates a vivid and heartfelt account of the life of Junior, a young Native American living on a reservation. Through Junior's humorous diary entries and cartoons, Alexie fuses words and images to depict the difficult journey many Native Americans face.

Heavily based on Alexie's personal experiences, this fictional story depicts struggles, injustices and the long-lasting effects of historical oppression toward Native Americans. Although Junior is a young adult, he must face the reality of living in utter poverty, contend with the discrimination of those outside of the reservation, cope with a community and a family ravaged and often killed by alcoholism, break cultural barriers at an all-White high school, and maintain the perseverance needed to hope and work for a better future.

While Alexie depicts a desolate picture of life on a reservation, he also creates a beautiful story that allows one to examine the changes it takes to remedy an unjust social system. Ultimately, one leaves the book with a message of hope and a new call to activism.

The Civil Rights Book Club seeks to provide context and provoke discussion about today's top social justice concerns. Each week, we profile a book, a movie, or other media that represent the diversity of the contemporary social justice movement. You can help support The Leadership Conference by purchasing Book Club selections through the Amazon.com link on our website.