Category: Racial Justice

The Path Forward For Vulnerable Communities →

Statement from Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, the Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legal organization in Boston providing free legal support to people of color, immigrants, and low-income people: At Lawyers for Civil Rights, our commitment to advancing civil rights remains unshaken. As a non-profit, non-partisan organization, our mission transcends political divides...

Enrique Delgado Garcia’s Death →

Statement on Enrique Delgado Garcia At Lawyers for Civil Rights, we are hearing alarming reports that Enrique Delgado Garcia may have been deliberately targeted due to his Latino identity, as one of the few people of color in the Massachusetts State Police Academy.  Mr. Delgado Garcia may have been intentionally...

New Report on Police Diversity →

New Report Shows Dramatic Impact of 1970s-Era “Consent Decree” on Police Diversity in Massachusetts Long-Running Federal Court Oversight to End Soon, Raising Concerns About Backsliding A comprehensive new study released by The Brattle Group analyzes the dramatic impact that a 50-year-old federal court case has had on police diversity throughout Massachusetts. The...

Black Sisters Speak Out In Millbury →

“Black as fuck,” “ugly,” and “too dark”— Black Sisters Speak Out About Racial Bullying in Millbury Federal Intervention Needed to Address Pervasive Use of Racial Slurs and Unfair Discipline in Millbury Public Schools Following months of escalating racial bullying, threats of violence, and disproportionate surveillance and punishment targeting Black students in...

Harvard’s Black Enrollment Drops →

Harvard’s Black Student Enrollment Dips While Legacy Admissions Remain in Place As Harvard joins the ranks of elite colleges and universities reporting declining enrollment of Black students following the U.S. Supreme Court's anti-affirmative action decision, a key question remains: Why does Harvard continue to cling to unfair donor and legacy...

Racial Bullying Tools & Resources →

Lawyers for Civil Rights has created a toolkit of resources to help families through the process of navigating and responding to racial bullying, including a self-advocacy guide for students, a roadmap for parents, and an email template for reporting. These tools and resources are available here: Click here for the...

George Floyd’s Murder Re-Enactment →

Brookline Public Schools Fail To Protect Black Student From Racial Bullying Classmates Call Black Eighth-Grader a “Cotton Picker” And Re-Enact George Floyd’s Murder Lawyers for Civil Rights (“LCR”) filed a federal civil rights complaint on behalf of a Black eighth-grader who was subjected to racial bullying at Amos A. Lawrence...

Classmates Cut Off Black Girl’s Braided Hair →

Melrose Public Schools Fail Again To Protect Black Student From Racial Bullying White Classmates Call Fifth-Grader “Monkey” Repeatedly, Cut Off Her Braided Hair Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights against Melrose Public Schools for the ongoing and persistent...

Black Children Illegally Restrained at School →

Black Children are Being Illegally Restrained at School Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against the Town of Marblehead and Marblehead Public Schools in Latest School Restraint Case Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a civil rights lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court against the Town of Marblehead, Marblehead Public Schools, and several...

Diversity in Public Employment →

Lack of Diversity in Public Employment in Boston and Across the Commonwealth Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) will join Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia and other prominent leaders, including the leadership of the Massachusetts Association of Minority Law Enforcement Officers (MAMLEO), in a press conference at City Hall Plaza to...

Black-Owned Businesses Sue Treasury, FinCEN →

Lawsuit Filed Challenging “Corporate Transparency Act” – An Overreaching New Federal Law Threatening Small Businesses with Fines, Imprisonment  Lawyers for Civil Rights Joins Black-Owned Businesses and Small Business Development Organizations to Protect Minority Business Owners In a federal lawsuit filed today, Lawyers for Civil Rights, minority-owned businesses, and their allies took aim...

Black Running Crew Files Discrimination Lawsuit Against Boston Marathon →

BLACK RUNNING CREW FILES FEDERAL DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST BOSTON MARATHON AND NEWTON POLICE Lawsuit Seeks to Prevent Repeat of 2023 Racial Profiling Incident Seeking to forestall a repeat of the racial profiling incident that occurred at the 2023 Boston Marathon, a prominent Black-led running group filed a federal discrimination lawsuit...

Black Students Unfairly Disciplined at Nichols College →

Black College Student Leaders Unfairly Disciplined After Acting in Self-Defense Nichols College and Dudley Police Must Remedy Impacts of Racially Biased Investigations Two Black student leaders at Nichols College are speaking out after racially-biased investigations of a physical altercation have resulted in severe interruptions in their educational opportunities. Meanwhile, white...

Victory! Court Grants Emergency Receivership →

Court Grants Families’ Emergency Petition, Orders Receiver To Manage Edgar P. Benjamin Healthcare Center Petition Documented Threats To Elderly Patients’ Safety And Health Due To Mismanagement Of Nursing Home Acting swiftly on an emergency petition filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights on behalf of families of residents at the Edgar P. Benjamin Healthcare...

Lawsuit Against The Benjamin Demanding Receivership →

Family Members Urge Court To Appoint Receiver To Avert Imminent Harm To Elderly Patients In Boston Nursing Home Serving Predominantly Seniors Of Color   Petition Cites Critical Management Failures, Staff Shortages, Inadequate Supplies, And Patient Deterioration Update: Victory! The receivership was granted by the Court on April 3. Click here to...

Boston to Pay $4.7 Million in Police Shooting of Terrence Coleman →

City of Boston To Pay $4.7 Million To Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuit Brought By Hope Coleman – Whose Son Terrence Was Killed By Boston Police In 2016 Young Black Man Living With Mental Illness Shot After His Mother Called 911 For Medical Assistance Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Fick...

Addressing Workplace Harassment and Discrimination →

Lawyers for Civil Rights is calling on the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) to implement more robust guidelines to help address workplace harassment and discrimination.  In public comments submitted to the MCAD, LCR urges more dedicated training for employers to effectively respond to various forms of workplace harassment, including discrimination based...

Lawyers for Civil Rights Receives $2 Million Gift From the Yield Giving Open Call  →

March 19, 2024  BOSTON – Today, MacKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving announced a $2 million gift to Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), as part of the Yield Giving Open Call. In a pool of 6,353 applicants across the United States, LCR was among the highest-ranking organizations nationally.  “Lawyers for Civil Rights...