The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Civil Rights Monitor
Winter 2007

• Introduction

On the Hill

• The Year in Judicial and Executive Nominations
• D.C. Voting Rights: Closer than Ever
• Hate Crimes Bill Moves through Congress
• Fighting to Preserve and Restore Workers' Rights
• The Immigration Reform Debate Continues
• Congress Begins Addressing Subprime Mortgage Fallout
• Successes and Setbacks on ENDA
• Backlash against the REAL ID Act Grows

Executive Branch

• Deja Vu at the FCC?

In the Courts

• Supreme Court Hands Down Major Decision on School Integration

In the States

• New Threats to Affirmative Action

LCCREF Activities

• Civil Rights Enforcement Takes Center Stage
• Leadership Conference Steps Up Anti-Poverty Efforts
• New Civil Rights Partnership Calls Attention to Nation's High School Crisis
• Why Americans Should Care about the Great Switch to DTV
• President Clinton, John Hope Franklin, and Tammy Duckworth Are 2007 Hubert H. Humphrey Honorees

President Clinton, John Hope Franklin, and Tammy Duckworth Are 2007 Hubert H. Humphrey Honorees

Former President William J. Clinton, scholar Dr. John Hope Franklin, and activist/veteran Tammy Duckworth, were honored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) at this year's Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 10, 2007.

"This year's nominees are individuals who work to bring dignity to the life of everyday working Americans," said LCCR President and CEO Wade Henderson.

Former President William J. Clinton received the award for his foundation's AIDS work and poverty work.

Since starting its HIV/AIDS Initiative in 2002, the Clinton Foundation has worked with 25 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia to set up AIDS treatment and prevention programs.

The foundation already provides access to lower-priced AIDS drugs in 65 countries. Some 750,000 people are now receiving AIDS drugs purchased through the Clinton Foundation.

Most recently, the Clinton Foundation brokered a deal that will make it possible for AIDS patients in the developing world to get once-a-day antiviral medication for $1 a day. The agreements with generic drug makers Cipla and Matrix Laboratories will save developing nations 25 percent (up to 50 percent for middle-income countries). An estimated half a million patients will require these drugs by 2010.

President Clinton has recently expanded his foundation's poverty work with The Urban Enterprise Initiative by adding three new programs. The Urban Enterprise Initiative supports the expansion of opportunity and economic growth in urban communities by helping small businesses and entrepreneurs compete in the changing urban marketplace. To date, the Initiative has provided more than 50,000 hours of pro bono technical assistance.

Dr. Franklin was honored for his consistent commitment to incorporating blacks into American historical texts and representations. His pioneering works, including From Slavery to Freedom and Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin, are well-regarded nationally and internationally.

"Dr. Franklin's work has and continues to be a guide along our national road to an equal and just society. He has worked tirelessly to make sure that the story of America includes the stories of us all," said LCCR's Henderson.

Dr. Franklin has served as president of The American Studies Association, the Southern Historical Association, and the American Historical Association.

In the 90s, he helped to open a national dialogue on race and equality when he was appointed by President Clinton to One America: the President's Initiative on Race.

In addition to many awards, Dr. Franklin has received honorary degrees from more than 100 colleges and universities.

Tammy Duckworth was honored for her work on behalf of veterans and health care reform. Duckworth lost both her legs in a 2004 helicopter accident in Iraq and then began a life of public service.

For her military service, she received a Purple Heart and promotion to the rank of major at Walter Reed Medical Hospital. In 2006, Duckworth ran for an Illinois Congressional seat, on a platform calling for equal access to health care, common-sense immigration reform, mandatory funding of veterans' health care, and improvements in transition assistance for those returning to civilian life, particularly for those with disabilities.

After a narrow loss, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich appointed her as Director of the Illinois Veterans' Affairs Department. She also serves as a major in the Illinois National Guard.

"Tammy Duckworth made the health and welfare of returning veterans a priority in her public service work," said LCCR's Henderson. "Her tireless efforts on behalf of children, families, and veterans embody the true spirit of civil rights and we are honored to celebrate her work."

LCCR's Civil Rights Award was named for former United States vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer Hubert H. Humphrey, whose years of public service, leadership, and dedication to equal opportunity changed the face of America.

Awardees are selected based on their distinguished contributions to the advancement of civil and human rights. Previous recipients include Senator Edward Kennedy; Representative John Lewis; civil rights leader Julian Bond; disability rights advocate Justin Dart; publisher Monica Lozano; and actor-activist Danny Glover, among other civil rights leaders.