The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Introduction
• I. Voting Rights
• II. Education
• III. Employment Discrimination
• IV.Fair Housing
• V. Public Accommodations
• VI. Policing the Police and Prosecuting the Klan
• Recommendations
  • A. De-Politicize the Civil Rights Division
  • B. Promote Access to Voting
  • C. Enforce Fair Housing Laws
  • D. Ensure Compliance with the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)
  • E. Combat Employment Discrimination
  • F. Promote and Maintain Integrated, High Quality Schools
  • G. Prosecute Police Misconduct and Hate Crimes
• Conclusion

Conclusion

If Congress lacks the authority to remedy discrimination, if states cannot be sued in federal court when they discriminate, and if federal agencies do not vigorously enforce the landmark laws of the 1960s, then civil rights protections lack the federal guarantee promised in the 14th and 15th Amendments.

- Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, 2003 ⁶⁶

The 50th anniversary of the creation of the Civil Rights Division is a time to reflect on where we have been, where we are, and where we need to go in the struggle for civil rights and equal justice in America. We have undoubtedly come a long way - a very long way from racial violence, segregated lunch counters, poll taxes, and "Whites only" job advertisements. But we are not finished. Today, we face, among other things, predatory lending practices directed at racial minorities and older Americans, voter ID requirements that often have a discriminatory impact on minority voters, and English-only policies in the workplace; and so our work continues.

As this report confirms, one of the critical tools to our collective progress in civil rights has been the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. And the heart and soul of the Division is and has always been its career staff. For 50 years, they have worked to help make our country what it ought to be: a place where talent trumps color and opportunity knocks on all doors; where you cannot predict the quality of the local school system by the racial or ethnic composition of the school's population; where access is a right, not a privilege; and where difference is both tolerated and valued.

We have concerns with the direction of the Civil Rights Division in recent years. Our hope is that the Division can meet those concerns with positive action for our future. This report begins to map out the way forward. We look forward to the continuing conversation.

66. Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund. "The Bush Administration Takes Aim: Civil Rights Under Attack." LCCREF, April 2003, 9.