Community Forum on Exam Schools on Feb. 28 in Roxbury →

Lack of Diversity in Boston’s Fire Department →

Boston’s Response to Report on Lack of Diversity in Fire Department: More Empty Promises? Boston, MA — A recent city-commissioned review regarding the lack of diversity in the Boston Fire Department (BFD) tells an old tale tracing years of City inaction in the face of persistent gender inequality. BFD remains...

Separate and still unequal. →

January 21, 2019 — Today, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it's tempting to say that the worst days of prejudice are behind us, and that the moral arc of the universe is bending closer to equality for all. But, as former Attorney General Eric Holder warns, the arc “only bends...

Hate Crimes Are Multiplying In Massachusetts But We Can’t Blame Trump →

Hate Crimes Are Multiplying in Massachusetts But We Can't Blame Trump This op-ed by Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal and Lauren Sampson was published on January 4, 2019 by WBUR Cognoscenti. In our current social and political climate, it is easy to attribute the recent wave of hate crimes in Massachusetts to the Trump administration....

Condemning Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections →

Lawyers for Civil Rights Condemns Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections  As part of its ongoing rollback of civil rights protections, the Trump Administration is directing Justice Department officials to look for ways to eliminate one of the most potent tools of civil rights advocacy: the disparate impact doctrine. Lawyers for Civil...

Tools to Fight Hate: Know-Your-Rights PalmCards →

[pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Tools-to-Fight-Hate-Know-Your-Rights-PalmCards.pdf" title="Tools to Fight Hate (Know-Your-Rights PalmCards)"] [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Tools-to-Fight-Hate-Know-Your-Rights-PalmCards-Page-2.pdf" title="Tools to Fight Hate (Know-Your-Rights PalmCards) Page 2"]

Community-Based Health Center & Immigrants Rights Groups Condemn “Public Charge” Rule →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) submitted comments opposing the Trump Administration’s proposed rule improperly expanding the definition of “public charge” to deny immigration protection to those seeking legal permanent residence and other relief. The comments were joined by: MGH—Chelsea HealthCare Center Brazilian Worker Center; Chelsea Collaborative; East Boston Ecumenical Community...

The Next Challenge In The Opioid Epidemic: Battling Rising Rates Of HIV →

The Next Challenge In The Opioid Epidemic: Battling Rising Rates Of HIV This op-ed by Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal and Lauren Sampson was published on Nov. 30, 208 by WBUR Cognoscenti. This December marks the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day. The disease has killed as many as 41 million people worldwide, the mortality...

Lowell’s Voting Rights Challenge Is Opportunity For Positive Change →

Lowell's Voting Rights Challenge Is Opportunity For Positive Change The following guest commentary is also undersigned by U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, Nancy Donahue, Brian Martin, Luis Pedroso, Tim Thou, Fru Nkimbeng, and Rev. Dr. Cecilio Hernández. By Michael Gallagher Special to The Lowell Sun In Lowell, we have a long...

Black and Latino Drivers File Discrimination Class Action Against Amazon →

BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS FILE CLASS ACTION DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST AMAZON Complaint Alleges Amazon Illegally Fired Drivers Based On Overly Stringent Background Checks A group of six Black and Latino former Amazon drivers filed a class action lawsuit today in Suffolk Superior Court, charging that Amazon illegally discriminated against them...

Civil Rights Groups File Amicus Brief to Challenge Bias Against Non-English Speakers in Criminal Proceedings →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a brief as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) along with immigrants’ rights organizations Centro Presente and the Brazilian Worker Center in the case Commonwealth v. Espinal (No. SJC-12597). The case concerns what questions judges must ask potential jurors...

Chelsea Collaborative & Lawyers for Civil Rights Respond to Federal Anti-Immigrant Actions →

President Trump recently announced his intention to issue an executive order terminating “birthright citizenship” for the children of non-citizens born in the United States. This assault on a deeply engrained feature of American society comes as part of an ever escalating war on immigrants. Over the past two years, we...

2018 Year-in-Review →

Check out our latest work. Our 2018 year-in-review is available here: http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf" title="2018 Year in Review"] Our 2018 year-in-review is available here: http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2018-Year-in-Review.pdf

Subpoenas For Trump’s Racial Slur Apprentice Videos →

In what is believed to be the first demand made in a pending federal lawsuit, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR)  issued subpoenas to MGM Holdings Inc. and Trump Productions, LLC, demanding that they immediately produce to LCR “any and all unaired video footage … created during the production of The Apprentice...

Congressional Resolution Honors Our Achievements →

Mass. Lawmakers Introduce Resolution Honoring Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice Bicameral Resolution Marks 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Boston Affiliate Text of Resolution (PDF) Washington, DC – United States Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Stephen F. Lynch, along with their colleagues from the Massachusetts congressional delegation,...

Report on Discipline →

NEW REPORT EXAMINES SCHOOL DISCIPLINE IN MASSACHUSETTS Discipline Rates Drop, But Disconcerting Disparities Remain September 27, 2018 Boston, MA – A comprehensive report issued today by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice examines the state of school discipline in Massachusetts.  The report, Unfinished Business, shows that while measurable progress...

Response to Trump Administration’s “Public Assistance” Proposal →

[pdf-embedder url="http://lawyerscom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Statement-in-Response-to-Trump-Administration-_Public-Assistance_-Proposal.pdf" title="Statement in Response to Trump Administration _Public Assistance_ Proposal"] The statement is available here: http://lawyerscom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Statement-in-Response-to-Trump-Administration-_Public-Assistance_-Proposal.pdf

Symposium on the Future of Civil Rights (September 20, 2018) →

  Please join us on September 20th for a groundbreaking civil rights conference at Suffolk Law School. Free registration starts at noon. Lunch will be served. Event will conclude with beer/wine reception. This event is open and free to the public. The program is available here: [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyerscom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Symposium-Program.pdf"]