Our latest accomplishments


Boston Civil Rights and Educator Groups Call for Greater Teacher Diversity →

Education
Boston Civil Rights and Educator Groups Call for Greater Teacher Diversity Boston – a group of leading Asian American, Black, and Latino educator and civil rights groups, together with the Boston Teachers Union, released Broken Promises, a call for greater teacher diversity in Boston Public Schools (BPS).   The paper highlights research on the...

Boston Globe Calls for Action on Exam School Diversity →

Education
The Boston Globe Editorial Board calls for "more urgency" in closing Boston Latin’s diversity gap, citing the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice: “There is simply nothing meritorious about a public school admissions policy that favors those who can pay for private test preparation,” said Matt Cregor, the...

Incoming Exam School Classes Fail to Reflect Boston’s Diversity, Especially at Boston Latin School →

Education
Incoming Exam School Classes Fail to Reflect Boston’s Diversity, Especially at Boston Latin School Civil Rights Groups Call for Citywide Review of Exam School Admissions May 9, 2017 Boston, MA: Admissions data for Boston’s incoming exam school classes show that the troubling trend of under-enrollment of African Americans and Latinos...

AERA Centennial Lecture Focuses on Racial Disparities in School Discipline, Solutions →

Education
On April 12th, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) dedicated one of its Centennial Lectures to addressing racial disparities in school discipline.  Dr. Russ Skiba, whose research on this subject has significantly shaped efforts to counter the School-to-Prison Pipeline, delivered the lecture.  Matt Cregor, LCCR's Education Project Director, served as commentator....

Black and Latino Amazon Drivers File Discrimination Class Action →

Employment, Racial Justice
BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS FILE CLASS ACTION DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS AGAINST AMAZON Complaints Allege Amazon Illegally Fired Drivers Based On Overly Stringent Background Checks A group of eight Black and Latino former Amazon drivers filed class action complaints today with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), charging that Amazon illegally discriminated...

Responding to Unprecedented Civil Rights Challenges →

Education, Employment, Housing, Police Accountability, Racial Justice, Voting Rights
Responding to Unprecedented Civil Rights Challenges The federal government has all but abandoned its commitment to enforcing our nation’s civil rights laws. The federal government is impeding progress in voting rights and police accountability cases. Right now,  immigrants and refugees are being detained and interrogated in airports. Overnight, we've had...

As School Discipline Disparities Rise, LCCR Releases Toolkit for Families and Educators to Improve Discipline →

Education
According to new data released by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, one-year after implementing Massachusetts' new school discipline law, out-of-school suspension rates are climbing slightly, but especially for students of color, English Language Learners, and Students with Disabilities. The Enterprise: "Racial Disparity Remains in School Suspension Rates" ...

Lawyers’ Committee Tapped for Attorney General’s New Advisory Council on Racial Justice →

Racial Justice
On October  25, 2016, Attorney General Maura Healey's office kicked off an advisory council geared towards promoting racial justice and equity in Massachusetts. The new council is made up of leaders and advocates from organizations across the state. Our executive director, Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, a member of the new council, was...

Lawyers’ Committee Urges Amazon to Halt Employment Practices that Harm Communities of Color →

Employment, Racial Justice
In a letter issued today, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice called on Amazon to reverse recently-implemented employment policies that bar qualified individuals from being Amazon delivery drivers based not on job performance, but rather solely on past contact with the criminal justice system. In the Boston...

Statement: U.S. Attorney Finds Boston Latin School Violated Federal Civil Rights Law →

Education, Racial Justice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      SEPTEMBER 26, 2016 Civil Rights Groups’ Statement on Finding by U.S. Attorney that Boston Latin School Violated Federal Civil Rights Law Groups Behind Federal Complaint Urge City to Use Agreement to Improve the Racial Climate of Every Boston School Boston, MA: Today, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz found...

Lawyers’ Committee Urges Integrity In State’s Minority-Owned Business Program →

Economic Justice, Racial Justice
The Lawyers' Committee this week called upon the State's Supplier Diversity Office (SDO) to limit its equal opportunity program for public contracting to only those minority groups for which there is documented discrimination.  Massachusetts' "affirmative marketing program" is a critical means of ensuring that minority-owned businesses have equal opportunity to compete for public contracts....

Lawyers’ Committee Urges MBTA To Mitigate Impact Of Late-Night Service Cancellation →

Economic Justice
LCCREJ is again urging the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to mitigate the impact of its cancellation of late-night service on communities of color and low-income individuals.  Our previous advocacy on this issue highlighted the importance of transportation equity to the civil rights struggle and demonstrated how the MBTA's termination of late-night service disproportionately impacted...

LCCR Urges HUD To Investigate Airbnb For Fair Housing Violations →

Racial Justice
In a letter issued today, the Lawyers' Committee calls upon the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take immediate investigatory and enforcement action to ensure that Airbnb and its hosts fully comply with civil rights laws.  In our letter, we cite recent evidence that Airbnb renters with distinctively African-American names are approximately 16% less likely to be accepted by...

Credit Checks For Employment: A Discriminatory Barrier →

Economic Justice, Employment, Racial Justice
More and more employers now use credit checks to screen potential employees, even though credit history typically tells next to nothing about a person's ability to perform a job.  Not only is this practice unhelpful to employers, it is also often discriminatory, as it disproportionately impacts communities of color.  Find out...

LCCR Testifies In Support of Automatic Voter Registration →

Racial Justice, Voting Rights
LCCR staff testified this week before the Joint Committee on Election Laws in support of H4097, an automatic voter registration bill authored by Rep. Evandro Carvalho.   Recent studies have shown that 1 in 4 eligible citizens are not registered to vote, and many registrations are inaccurate because of wrong addresses...

LCCR Advocates For Transportation Equity; Calls on MBTA To Reverse Cancellation Of Late Night Service →

Economic Justice, Racial Justice
In a letter to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) leadership and federal officials, the Lawyers' Committee called upon MBTA to reverse its decision to cancel late night bus and rapid transit service -- a decision that will disproportionately impact minority and low-income communities.  In our letter, we highlight the importance...

African-American Police Officers File Discrimination Complaint Against Brookline →

Employment, Police Accountability, Racial Justice
Boston, MA – Two African-American police officers from the Town of Brookline filed complaints today with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), alleging racial discrimination in employment.  In their complaints, Officers Prentice Pilot and Estifanos Zerai-Misgun cite a range of conduct that they say has created a hostile work environment...

Solutions for Wealth Inequality: A Joint Statement from Civil Rights Leaders →

Economic Justice, Employment, Racial Justice
Solutions for Wealth Inequality:  A Joint Statement from Civil Rights Leaders and Organizations on Black History Month   As civil rights leaders and organizations, we stand together this Black History Month to call attention to the income inequality plaguing Boston’s communities of color.  The Brookings Institution recently reported that Boston is #1...