Human Rights Congressional briefing today: 50 national groups call on Obama for human rights reform

Image: US Human Rights Network

**Congressional Briefing, TODAY, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18th at 2:00pm Eastern**

** 2237 Rayburn House Office Building **

The Campaign for a New Domestic Human Rights Agenda Joins Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union to Brief Congress on the Need to Reform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Panel of experts to offer recommendations on how to make the Commission a more effective institution to protect and promote civil and human rights in the United States.

Washington, DC - Today, November 18, 2009, the Campaign for a New Domestic Human Rights Agenda (a coalition of approximately 50 national U.S.-based organizations including major human rights, civil rights, civil liberties, and social justice groups) will join with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union to brief Congressional Members and their staffs about the need to reform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (“the Commission”)

Today, it is clear that past changes to the Commission have rendered the body ineffective and unable to address the full range of pressing issues that we face today—including the lack of equal protection under the law, barriers to voting, police brutality, racial profiling, and significant racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

To that end, the Campaign for a New Domestic Human Rights Agenda is calling on Congress and President Obama to strengthen and transform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights into a nonpartisan, independent U.S. Commission on Civil and Human Rights.  

An expanded mandate that includes human rights would better address all forms of discrimination and be an important step on the road to satisfying our domestic human rights obligations.

WHO:            

Lisa Crooms, Chair, Campaign for a New Domestic Human Rights Agenda

Wade Henderson, President and CEO, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Deborah J. Vagins, Legislative Counsel, American Civil Liberties Union

Fatima Goss Graves, Vice President, National Women’s Law Center

David M. Smith, Vice President of Programs, Human Rights Campaign

WHAT:          Congressional Briefing on the need to reform the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

WHEN:          Wednesday, November 18 at 2:00PM

WHERE:       2237 Rayburn House Office Building

For more information, contact: Rachel Hamrick, 202.236.1374.