Press Release

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and leading civil rights groups today called on the mayor of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department chief to keep communities safe and restore trust between police and the communities they serve. The letter was sparked by the recent police killing of George Floyd and subsequent militarized response to local demonstrations, with the groups urging leaders to use this moment as an opportunity to grapple with the ongoing legacy of white supremacy and police violence in communities of color and to re-examine their approach to public safety.

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on President Trump’s Executive Order on content moderation by social media companies:

MINNEAPOLIS - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Black Visions Collective, The Native American Community Development Institute, and UNIDOS MN issued the following joint statement on the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police:

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the 279 undersigned organizations issued the following statement today in response to news that the Trump administration is preparing to publish a final rule that would dramatically undermine the Affordable Care Act’s nondiscrimination provisions:

WASHINGTON – Noting an increase in discriminatory policing practices during COVID-19, The Leadership Conference Education Fund released principles that provide actionable recommendations for law enforcement agencies across the country to better protect the health and safety of communities and officers during the pandemic and beyond. The principles, Public Safety During COVID-19 and Beyond: Recommendations for Protecting Public Health and Our Civil Rights, received endorsements from more than 100 civil rights organizations and law enforcement groups, including The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), and Chiefs of Police Carmen Best of Seattle, Washington, and Rashall M. Brackney of Charlottesville, Virginia.

WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the House passage of the COVID-19 relief package, the “Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act” or the HEROES Act:

WASHINGTON – On Monday, May 18 at 3 PM ET, the chairs of the Congressional Asian Pacific American and Hispanic Caucuses will join civil rights leaders on Facebook Live for a discussion about COVID-19 legislative responses and the pandemic’s disparate impact on immigrants and families of color. The CARES Act excluded these communities by denying them basic health care and economic security — despite their being on the front lines fighting the pandemic. However, the new HEROES Act attempts to rectify those mistakes.

WASHINGTON – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Campaign, Muslim Advocates, NAACP, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, along with 110 additional organizations committed to racial justice and civil rights, called on the U.S. Department of Justice to open a full and thorough hate crimes investigation into the murder of Ahmaud Arbery. The groups also called on the DOJ to conduct a federal civil rights pattern or practice investigation into the local district attorneys, as well as the Glynn County Police Department, for systemic constitutional abuses.