The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Latest News

Preserving Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. The U.S. Supreme Court this week heard oral arguments in the case of Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, which is challenging the use of a race as a factor in college admissions. “The University of Texas has created a fair process for expanding opportunity,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference, joining a wide range of organizations, institutions and individuals who support the university’s admissions policy and the goal of creating more diverse student bodies. “Within a group of qualified applicants, universities should be able to consider factors in addition to test scores to create a diverse learning environment that prepares students for the real world.”

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Monitoring U.S. Elections. In a letter sent by The Leadership Conference, the NAACP, and six other civil rights organizations, the groups cite new restrictions on voting periods, voter ID laws, and registration as “a coordinated political effort to disenfranchise millions of Americans—particularly traditionally disenfranchised groups like minorities, low-income people, women, young people, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.”  The letter was sent in advance of a meeting between the organizations and the OSCE scheduled for October 16.

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Civil Rights Voting Record. The Leadership Conference this week released vote ratings for every member of the 112^th Congress. The Voting Record, which has been published for every Congress since 1969, reflects positions taken by every senator and representative on the legislative priorities of The Leadership Conference and its more than 200 coalition members. “This Congress posed extreme challenges for the advancement of civil and human rights and is one of the least productive on record,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference. “Even formerly bipartisan initiatives like the Violence Against Women Act and the confirmation of judicial nominees – fell victim to obstruction, brinkmanship, and political posturing.”

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Every Voter Counts.  The Leadership Conference Education Fund, working with allies at the local, state, and national levels, has launched Every Voter Counts – a new campaign to focus on voter protection and turnout; to strengthen the ability of individuals and organizations to overcome barriers to the right to vote; and to increase voter turnout among underrepresented populations that are the targets of voter suppression efforts. Watch our new videos highlighting how civil rights activists have been fighting back against voter suppression laws in Ohio, Colorado and Wisconsin, and do your part to ensure that every voter counts in 2012.

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