- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- I. Creating the Commission
- II. The Commission’s Early Years
- III. The 60s: Laying the Foundation for Legislation
- IV. The 70s: School Desegregation and an Expanded Mandate
- V. The 80s: Dismantling the Commission
- VI. The 90s: The Commission Devolves
- VII. The Post-Millennial Commission
- Conclusion
- Recommendations
- Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
Restoring the Conscience of the Nation is an initiative of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund’s Civil Rights Enforcement Project and the ReclaimCivilRights.org campaign. This campaign is part of the work of LCCREF’s Public Policy Department directed by Nancy Zirkin. In releasing this report, our goals are to educate the public about the historic impact and importance of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in helping guide the nation toward its highest ideals of fairness and equity and to draw attention to contemporary challenges facing the commission as the need continues for it to do vitally important work.
We would especially like to thank Catherine LeRoy, the author of the report, and Julie Fernandes, a principal with the Raben Group and former Leadership Conference senior counsel, who spearheaded this initiative.
Our thanks also go to LCCREF staff who provided invaluable assistance in the editing, design and layout of the report: Karen DeWitt, vice president for content and framing; Juan Carlos Ibarra, the Leadership Conference’s former multimedia assistant; Tyler Lewis, communications manager; Katie McCown, the Leadership Conference’s former policy associate; Antoine Morris, communications researcher; David Schraub, summer intern; Jenna Wandres, communications & multimedia assistant; and Corrine Yu, senior counsel and managing policy director.
The authors and publisher are solely responsible for the accuracy of statements and interpretations contained in this publication.
Karen McGill Lawson
President and CEO, LCCREF
Wade Henderson
Counselor, LCCREF
President and CEO, LCCR
