Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On the 59th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, leaders of the nation’s most prominent civil rights organizations today declared a state of emergency for democracy in the United States. Their proclamation comes in response to the concerted effort in states nationwide to disenfranchise voters, the likes of which we have not seen since the Jim Crow Era that motivated the 1963 March. The tactics are different, but the intent is the same: To maintain power by blocking access to the ballot box and undermining our democracy. Today, on the anniversary of the March and on the eve of the 2022 midterm election, civil rights leaders issued a call to action to guarantee democracy and ensure the state of our union is strong.

WASHINGTON – Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Biden administration announced the cancellation of $10,000 of student loan debt for certain borrowers:

WASHINGTON — Representatives of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund are in Geneva, Switzerland, this week as a U.N. committee reviews the United States’ compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

WASHINGTON – Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Roopali Desai to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit:

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, joined by 32 national civil and human rights organizations, called on federal agencies to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of students in schools through the implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

WASHINGTON – Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement after the Senate confirmed Judge Elizabeth Hanes to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

WASHINGTON—Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on President Biden's Safer America Plan:

WASHINGTON – Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on Meta’s plan to determine whether its product works fairly across racial lines by surveying its Instagram users to voluntarily provide their race: