Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Adegbile and Lhamon Appointments to Civil Rights Commission

WASHINGTON—Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the announcement that two distinguished civil rights experts, Debo Adegbile and U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine Lhamon, will be appointed to the United States Commission on Civil Rights:  

“Mr. Adegbile and Assistant Secretary Lhamon are two of our nation’s leading experts on civil rights and have extensive knowledge and experience in how our laws should be enforced.

These appointments showcase the caliber of leadership and expertise that’s expected from all federal civil rights offices. These offices require a deep and thorough understanding of the constitutional promise of equal protection for all.

The outgoing commissioners, Marty Castro and Roberta Achtenberg, have served with honor and the nation has greatly benefited from their leadership on the commission. We trust that Mr. Adegbile and Assistant Secretary Lhamon will embody the same commitment to protecting all people that Commissioner Castro and Commissioner Achtenberg have modeled for the nation.

We applaud the Obama administration for making these appointments and urge the incoming administration to follow this example as it moves to fill federal civil rights offices.” 

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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