The Leadership Conference is working diligently to see that Tom Perez is confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Perez is an eminently qualified public servant and consensus builder who has dedicated his career to ensuring that all individuals are treated fairly and have the opportunity to succeed. He has served with integrity and distinction at the local, state and national level, compiling an outstanding record of achievement. Monitor Weekly - February 4, 2012
| The Leadership Conference Education Fund | February 4, 2012 |
Latest NewsThe Leadership Conference joined The Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under the Law, the ACLU, and other advocates in filing friend-of-the-court briefs in Supreme Court cases affecting fair housing rights and crack cocaine sentencing. The fair housing brief (Magner v. Gallagher) argues that “disparate impact” claims — which challenge housing discrimination regardless of intent — are allowed under the Fair Housing Act. The brief on crack cocaine sentencing (Hill v. United States and Dorsey v. United States) argues that the recently-enacted Fair Sentencing Act (FSA), which reduced sentencing disparities for crack cocaine versus powder cocaine to 18 to 1, down from 100 to 1, should be applied retroactively to people who were charged prior to the FSA but sentenced after its enactment. *** Calling it an “example of the president showing sustained, substantive, and thoughtful leadership to stabilize neighborhoods and stem foreclosures,” Wade Henderson this week applauded the Obama administration’s efforts to help struggling homeowners in the wake of the housing crisis. “The neighborhood stabilization programs will help put families in foreclosed and otherwise vacant properties. These programs will also prevent more of the foreclosures that have already gutted low-income communities and decimated the wealth of African-Americans and Hispanics,” Henderson said. *** The Federal Communications Commission this week announced that it would be taking steps to maintain and preserve the Lifeline program, which provides access to landline phone service for low-income households. The Leadership Conference, which has long advocated for strengthening the Lifeline program, welcomed the news. “The commissioners, Chairman Genachowski and Commissioner Clyburn in particular, recognize that Lifeline must be kept intact so that it can one day be modernized to include access to internet services and to narrow the digital divide,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference. Among the reforms the FCC is considering is updating the Lifeline program so that it applies not only to telephone service, but also to modern broadband technology. *** The Leadership Conference Education Fund and Split This Rock Poetry Festival this week co-hosted an event celebrating the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin, who was a central figure in the post-World War II civil rights movement. Rustin, who led an openly gay life, played a key role in organizing the 1963 March on Washington. He believed strongly in the need to build broad-based coalitions in the fight for civil and human rights. To learn more about the life of Bayard Rustin, see the 2003 award-winning documentary “Brother Outsider,” which is available for viewing on Netflix. More NewsHouse Committee Votes to Cut Dedicated Funding for Federal Transit ProgramsOver the opposition of state transportation departments, the National Urban League, Transportation for America, the American Public Transportation Association, and a diverse coalition of other organizations, the House Ways and Means Committee today passed a bill that would strip dedicated funding for public transportation. The move cast aside a 30-year history of providing dedicated funding for federal transit programs. Share: Unfinished Business: Latest Blog PostsWorking for Civil Rights |
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