Civilrights.org

As Inauguration Day approaches, we are reminded that social justice activism has been integral in helping us reach this historical moment. But our work is not done; we urge you to renew your commitment to social justice by working in your own community to address inequity.

Throughout the country, LCCR and LCCREF work with local groups that are shining examples of how to create change on a local level. This past year, we partnered with the Mississippi Immigrant Rights Alliance to organize a successful conference that brought immigrants, African Americans and Asians together to discuss how to build a more unified Mississippi.

And in Colorado, we partnered with Colorado Unity, a statewide coalition that educated voters about the importance of equal opportunity and made Colorado the first state to defeat an anti-equal opportunity ballot initiative.

Monday is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service — an opportunity for you to honor Dr. King's teachings of nonviolence and social justice by volunteering in your community, not just during this historic week but throughout the year.

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) recently sent its list of legislative priorities to Congress.  The January 6 letter contains a list of bills that LCCR and its 200-organization membership believe Congress should pass during this session. 

In the letter, LCCR states that its priorities have enjoyed "bipartisan support and/or have passed one or both houses of Congress."

Among the many priorities are:

• Passing an economic recovery package that assists low-income individuals and allows struggling homeowners to obtain relief in bankruptcy court to avert foreclosures;
• Passage of the Fair Pay Restoration Act, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and SCHIP; and
• Full funding for the Census Bureau and confirmation of a new director for the bureau.

For the last three years, LCCREF has shared with you the best books representing the diversity of the contemporary social justice landscape on topics like voting rights, immigration reform, economic inequality, women's rights, and educational equity.

You don't need to "join" this book club – just visit the Civil Rights Book Club page each month to check out our latest recommendations. You can find the book club in the Research Center section of the site navigation.