The Leadership Conference coalition was founded in 1950 as the federal lobbying arm of the civil rights movement. We continue that legacy today through our 11 task forces, which drive the coalition’s priorities and play a vital role in debates on Capitol Hill about actions affecting civil and human rights.
Our task forces are comprised of coalition members who have expertise in each issue area: the census, education, employment, fair courts, fair housing and lending, hate crimes, health care, immigration, justice reform, media and telecommunications, and voting rights. Task forces are co-chaired by coalition leaders who are charged with coordinating strategy and messaging to advance our highest ideals of justice and fairness.
Task forces are the heart of the coalition and the key mechanism by which we make the seemingly impossible yield to what is necessary.
At the start of every new Congress, the task forces identify and develop a comprehensive list of legislative and oversight priorities that represent a path forward for our country in advancing social and economic justice.
Census
The Census Task Force seeks to educate and influence Congress and the executive branch about the government investment and sound policy development needed to ensure a comprehensive American Community Survey and a fair and accurate census in every one of the nation’s communities.
Co-Chairs
Terry Ao Minnis
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC ›
Arturo Vargas
Education
The Education Task Force works to ensure that all students are fully included in welcoming and responsive schools from early childhood through postsecondary education that prepare them for college, careers, life, and the full exercise of their civil and human rights. The task force primarily seeks to achieve this by holding accountable the U.S. Department of Education and Congress for protecting students from discrimination and ensuring equal educational opportunity.
Co-Chairs
Andrea Senteno
Shiwali Patel
Employment
The Employment Task Force supports legislation and oversight that strengthens and expands protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and that support the needs of the current and future workforce, including by ensuring workers’ rights to join together in unions, receive fair wages and benefits, and the ability of workers to meet family needs through legislation that provides for paid family and medical leave, access to paid sick days, and fair and predictable schedules.
Co-Chairs
Judy Conti
National Employment Law Project ›
Yona Rozen
Fair Courts
The Fair Courts Task Force advocates for fair and independent courts and works to ensure the nomination and confirmation of judicial nominees who will protect and defend civil and human rights.
Co-Chairs
Marge Baker
Erinn Martin
Fair Housing and Lending
The Fair Housing and Lending Task Force strives to ensure the Fair Housing Act and other key civil rights laws are fully and fairly enforced in the area of housing and financial services, and supports policies to promote nondiscriminatory affordable housing and responsible lending.
Co-Chairs
Amalea Smirniotopoulos
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. ›
Nikitra Bailey
National Fair Housing Alliance ›
Hate Crimes
The Hate Crimes Task Force focuses its coalition efforts on raising awareness of crimes or incidents based in hate, strengthening hate crime laws and reporting and data collection, and opposing executive actions and rhetoric that are polarizing and divisive.
Co-Chairs
Maya Berry
David Stacy
Health Care
The Health Care Task Force works to promote and protect access to health care as a civil and human right, and supports efforts to uphold and expand the breadth, depth, and scope of health programs, benefits, and funding for all individuals, especially those from underserved communities.
Co-Chairs
Sinsi Hernández-Cancio
National Partnership for Women & Families ›
Mara Youdelman
Immigration
The Immigration Task Force strives for fairness, equity, humaneness, and family unity in our country’s immigration laws and enforcement practices.
Co-Chairs
Josh Bernstein
Service Employees International Union ›
Jaya Chatterjee
Justice Reform
The Justice Reform Task Force works to transform the way our criminal-legal system operates by advocating for federal administrative and legislative policy change to address inequities throughout the criminal-legal system from arrest to pretrial incarceration to sentencing and prison conditions to reentry.
Co-Chairs
Cynthia Roseberry
Media/Telecommunications
The Media/Telecommunications Task Force focuses on ensuring that civil and human rights, equal opportunity, and democratic participation are front and center in communications and technology policy debates. The task force works to ensure that all people in the United States have access to advanced communications technology and full participation and fair representation in electronic media.
Co-Chairs
Cheryl Leanza
UCC Office of Communication, Inc. ›
David Brody
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Voting Rights
The Voting Rights Task Force leads the coalition’s efforts to strengthen voting protections and oppose efforts to restrict voting rights for communities of color.
Co-Chairs
Jon Greenbaum
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ›
Andrea Senteno
Brenda Wright