LCCREF Programs & Projects
Founded in 1969 as the education and research arm of LCCR, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund (LCCREF) uses its research and education campaigns to promote an understanding of the need for national policies that support civil rights and social and economic justice. LCCREF initiatives are grounded in the belief that an informed public is more likely to support effective federal civil rights and social justice policies.
LCCREF was incorporated in 1969 as the Civil Rights Leadership Conference Fund. The organization documented the extent of discrimination and monitored the federal government's civil rights enforcement efforts. In 1985, the organization’s name was changed to the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund to support the civil rights community and to educate target constituencies about the need for strong civil rights policy.
LCCREF’s major projects illustrate its unique potential as the research, education, and communications arm of the civil rights coalition. LCCREF relies on foundation and corporate partnerships, as well as support from individuals. LCCREF is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are tax-deductible.
Below are some of the highlights of LCCREF’s work.
Ongoing publications
- Civilrights.org website
- Email Newsletters - including action alerts and the weekly newsletter "This Week in Civil Rights"
- Civil Rights Monitor - an annual publication that summarizes the year's major civil rights issues
National Public Education Campaigns
- Digital Television Transition - a national and grassroots campaign to make sure that the most affected and most vulnerable communities are informed about the transition to digital television (2008-2009)
- Realize the Dream - a national campaign to inform the nation of the progress made since Brown v. Board of Education, and the important work left to be done. (current)
- Americans for a Fair Chance - a campaign to educate Americans about the benefits of affirmative action, timed to coincide with the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases. (2003-current)
- Save Our Courts - a national campaign to educate the public and advocates about the importance of a fair and independent judiciary (2005-2006)
- Protect Voting Rights: Renew the VRA - a national and grassroots education campaign about the need for strong and vigorous voting rights protections (2005-2006)
- Restore Civil Rights - a national campaign to educate Americans about how our civil rights are being eroded and FAIRNESS: The Civil Rights Act of 2004 (2004)
- Fair Housing Law: an award-winning multimedia campaign to increase public awareness of the Fair Housing Act and its protections, encourage the reporting of fair housing discrimination, and provide resources to help communities and institutions support individuals and families who exercise their fair housing rights. (2003)
- Everyone Counts! Census Education - a national public education campaign to increase understanding of the importance of a fair and accurate census. (2000)
- National Anti-Discrimination Campaign - a long-term education and communications campaign in partnership with the Ad Council to promote interracial understanding, to combat bigotry of all kinds, and to help build a new national consensus to work toward the elimination of discrimination
- Immigration Reform Campaign - a public education campaign focused on legislative and administrative policies that undermine the rights of noncitizens
- Partners Against Hate - a program of outreach, public education, and training designed to prevent, deter, and reduce juvenile hate-related behavior (in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League and the Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence)
Reports & Publications
- Justice on Trial: Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System - an examination of the effects of systematically unequal treatment of black and Hispanic Americans and other minorities as compared to their similarly situated white counterparts within the criminal justice system (2000)
- Cause for Concern: Hate Crimes in America - documents the persistent problem of violent crimes against many vulnerable groups in society. (1997)
- Building Healthy Communities: Community Reinvestment Act and the Financial Modernization Movement - documents and analyzes the continuing civil rights problem of unequal access to capital and the success of the Community Reinvestment Act in addressing this problem (2002)
- Building One Nation: a Study of What is Being Done Today in Schools, Neighborhoods, and the Workplace - look at improving intergroup relations within institutions-education, workplace, and neighborhoods, which resulted in the publication (1996)
- Talking to Our Children About Racism, Prejudice, and Diversity - a resource to help parents and children talk about diversity, as well as racism and other kinds of bigotry (1995)
- Voting Rights in America, Continuing the Quest for Full Participation - a collection of essays prepared for the 1988 conference on the bicentennial of the Constitution, in conjunction with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies (1992)
- Injustice Under the Law: The Impact of the Grove City College Decision on Civil Rights in America - provided examples of the impact of the decision on students and employees, as well as the impact on federal enforcement activities (1985)
- An Oath Betrayed - documented the Reagan Administration's refusal to enforce effectively the civil rights statutes enacted to guarantee equality of educational opportunity for all Americans.
Conferences & Symposiums
- Housing Mobility as an Effective Anti-Poverty Strategy (1994)
- A symposium on fair housing to provide detailed information on the Fair Housing Amendments Act (1988)
- A national conference celebrating the bicentennial of the United States Constitution and the 200-year struggle to make the promise of the Constitution a reality for all Americans (1988)
- Redistricting and Minority Representation Strategy Session - a meeting to examine what the civil rights community could do in the reapportionment and redistricting process to maximize minority representation (1991)
- World Conference Against Racism - a delegation of 33 individuals to this conference in Durban, South Africa (2001)
Grassroots & Community Organizing
- Student Activist Network - connects students around affirmative action and other important issues on campuses nationwide
- CommUNITY 2000 - a collaborative initiative of national and local organizations in Boston, Chicago, San Diego, and North Carolina; local programs to address community tensions that arise when individuals exercise their rights under the Fair Housing Act
- The Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity (PRE) - a four-year project intended to increase the amount and effectiveness of resources aimed at combating institutional and structural racism in communities through capacity building, education, and convening of grantmakers and grantseekers. (2003-2007)
- Digital Opportunity Partnership - an information technology capacity and knowledge-building capacity among national civil rights organizations
- Civil Rights Summer - a highly acclaimed fellowship program designed to train the next generation of civil rights leaders (2001)
- Eye on Kids - partnership with CBS Kids, the Ad Council, and the advertising agency DDB Needham to help students create public service announcements (PSAs) that promote our nation's diversity and intergroup understanding
Awards
- Ad Council's Golden Bell Award for the Best PSA of 2003
