| The Leadership Conference Education Fund – March 7, 2015 |
Latest News
In Selma, Commemoration Requires Legislation. As lawmakers converge on Selma this weekend to commemorate the 50 th anniversary
of Bloody Sunday, legislation inspired by those marchers – the Voting
Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) – today remains badly weakened by a Supreme
Court decision nearly two years ago. “Commemoration requires
legislation. Selma isn’t just a photo op, it’s a solemn remembrance of
the blood, sweat, tears, and lives that went into securing voting rights
for racial minorities in this country,” said Wade Henderson,
president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights. “The Bloody Sunday march is not a parade, and it is hypocritical
for members to attend the event and then do nothing to advance a VRA
restoration when they return to Washington. We expect every member of
Congress marching in Selma this week to work diligently and thoughtfully
to pass legislation that fully protects voters from discrimination.”
Sen.
Patrick Leahy, D. Vt., ranking member of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, said this week he hopes the Selma anniversary will bring
lawmakers together in the same spirit as 50 years ago to confirm Loretta
Lynch as the nation’s first African-American woman Attorney General.
“But as we in this chamber reflect this week to honor those Americans
who marched in Selma, and the role that our Department of Justice played
in the civil rights movement, it should not be too much to ask how much
longer Loretta Lynch will be made to wait before she can become the
next United States Attorney General,” Leahy said in a statement on Monday. “Our Nation deserves to have its chief law enforcement officer considered without further delay.”
DOJ Releases Report on Ferguson PD. The U.S Department of Justice on Wednesday issued a scorching report detailing
findings of its investigation of the Ferguson, Mo., police department.
“The findings of the Civil Rights Division – the existence of racial
bias in law enforcement and in the courts, prioritization of revenue
generation over equal protection under the law, and placement of undue
burdens on African-American communities – are disheartening, but not
surprising,” Henderson said.
“We applaud the work of the Justice Department in this investigation
and that of police departments across the country that prioritize equal
protection under the law for all, regardless of race or class.”
***
New Video Proves Love Has No Labels.
A video released on Tuesday by the Ad Council, titled “Diversity &
Inclusion – Love Has No Labels,” challenges viewers to acknowledge their
implicit biases by showing pairs of x-rays kissing and dancing. When
they reveal themselves, the pairs – including LGBT, interracial, and
other couples – underscore that love has no gender, race, age, religion,
or disability. The video has already been viewed more than 26 million
times on YouTube. Watch it here.
***
Administration Unveils ‘Let Girls Learn’ Initiative. The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a new initiative to
help girls around the world attend and complete school. “Sixty-two
million girls around the world who should be in school are not. That’s
not by accident. It’s the direct result of barriers, large and small,
that stand in the way of girls who want to learn,” President Obama said at the initiative’s launch. In the United States, a recent report from
the National Women’s Law Center and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational
Fund, Inc., shines a light on the structural and institutional barriers
faced specifically by African-American girls – like disparate
discipline practices, gender-based harassment, and under-resourced
schools. Read the report, “Unlocking Opportunity for African American
Girls,” here.
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Memorial Service for Sen. Brooke
There
will be a memorial service for Senator Edward W. Brooke on Tuesday,
March 10, at 11:00 a.m. at the Washington National Cathedral, 3101
Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. The service is open to the general
public and seating will be on a first come, first served basis.
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Member Spotlight
The Anti-Defamation League was
founded in 1913 "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to
secure justice and fair treatment to all." Now the nation's premier
civil rights/human relations agency, ADL fights anti-Semitism and all
forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights
for all. |
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