.st0{fill:none;} .st1{fill:#F5BB61;} .st2{fill:#FFFFFF;} .st3{fill:#EF3829;} .st4{fill:#007BC3;} .st5{fill:#6D6E71;} Task Forces The Leadership Conference coalition was founded in 1950 as the federal lobbying arm of the civil rights movement. We continue that legacy today through our 11 task forces, which drive the coalition’s priorities and play a vital role in debates on Capitol Hill about actions affecting civil and human rights. Our task forces are comprised of coalition members who have expertise in each issue area: the census, education, employment, fair courts, fair housing and lending, hate crimes, health care, immigration, justice reform, media and telecommunications, and voting rights. Task forces are co-chaired by coalition leaders who are charged with coordinating strategy and messaging to advance our highest ideals of justice and fairness. Task forces are the heart of the coalition and the key mechanism by which we make the seemingly impossible yield to what is necessary. At the start of every new Congress, the task forces identify and develop a comprehensive list of legislative and oversight priorities that represent a path forward for our country in advancing social and economic justice. Priorities for the 116th Congress Learn More About Task Forces The Coalition Census The Census Task Force seeks to educate and influence Congress and the executive branch about the government investment and sound policy development needed to ensure a comprehensive American Community Survey and a fair and accurate census in every one of the nation’s communities. Co-Chairs Terry Ao Minnis Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC › Arturo Vargas NALEO Educational Fund › Education The Education Task Force works to ensure that all students are fully included in welcoming and responsive schools from early childhood through postsecondary education that prepare them for college, careers, life, and the full exercise of their civil and human rights. The task force primarily seeks to achieve this by holding accountable the U.S. Department of Education and Congress for protecting students from discrimination and ensuring equal educational opportunity. Co-Chairs Andrea Senteno MALDEF › Employment The Employment Task Force supports legislation and oversight that strengthens and expands protections against discrimination and harassment in the workplace, and that support the needs of the current and future workforce, including by ensuring workers’ rights to join together in unions, receive fair wages and benefits, and the ability of workers to meet family needs through legislation that provides for paid family and medical leave, access to paid sick days, and fair and predictable schedules. Co-Chairs Judy Conti National Employment Law Project › Yona Rozen AFL-CIO › Fair Courts The Fair Courts Task Force advocates for fair and independent courts and works to ensure the nomination and confirmation of judicial nominees who will protect and defend civil and human rights. Co-Chairs Marge Baker People For the American Way › Anna Chu National Women’s Law Center › Fair Housing and Lending The Fair Housing and Lending Task Force strives to ensure the Fair Housing Act and other key civil rights laws are fully and fairly enforced in the area of housing and financial services, and supports policies to promote nondiscriminatory affordable housing and responsible lending. Co-Chairs Lisa Cylar Barrett NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. › Jorge Andres Soto National Fair Housing Alliance › Hate Crimes The Hate Crimes Task Force focuses its coalition efforts on raising awareness of crimes or incidents based in hate, strengthening hate crime laws and reporting and data collection, and opposing executive actions and rhetoric that are polarizing and divisive. Co-Chairs Maya Berry Arab American Institute › David Stacy Human Rights Campaign › Health Care The Health Care Task Force works to promote and protect access to health care as a civil and human right, and supports efforts to uphold and expand the breadth, depth, and scope of health programs, benefits, and funding for all individuals, especially those from underserved communities. Co-Chairs Sinsi Hernández-Cancio National Partnership for Women & Families › Mara Youdelman National Health Law Program › Immigration The Immigration Task Force strives for fairness, equity, humaneness, and family unity in our country’s immigration laws and enforcement practices. Co-Chairs Josh Bernstein Service Employees International Union › Carlos Guevara UnidosUS › Justice Reform The Justice Reform Task Force works to transform the way our criminal-legal system operates by advocating for federal administrative and legislative policy change to address inequities throughout the criminal-legal system from arrest to pretrial incarceration to sentencing and prison conditions to reentry. Co-Chairs Hilary O. Shelton NAACP › Media/Telecommunications The Media/Telecommunications Task Force focuses on ensuring that civil and human rights, equal opportunity, and democratic participation are front and center in communications and technology policy debates. The task force works to ensure that all people in the United States have access to advanced communications technology and full participation and fair representation in electronic media. Co-Chairs Cheryl Leanza UCC Office of Communication, Inc. › Kate Ruane American Civil Liberties Union › Voting Rights The Voting Rights Task Force leads the coalition’s efforts to strengthen voting protections and oppose efforts to restrict voting rights for communities of color. Co-Chairs Lisa Cylar Barrett NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. › Jon Greenbaum Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law › Andrea Senteno MALDEF › Join the fight for justice, inclusion, and fairness for all. .st0{fill:#181616;} .st1{fill:#EF3829;} .st2{fill:#007BC3;} LIBRARY Advocacy Letters Comments Factsheets Reports Testimony PRESS & MEDIA Action Alerts Events Press Releases News ABOUT The Coalition Task Forces Board of Directors Staff Careers ACTION CENTER Get Involved Ways to Give Donate Phone: (202) 466-3311 1620 L Street NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20036 Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions Disclaimer Contact Us CivilRights.org is the joint website of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund. ©2021 The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights/The Leadership Conference Education Fund. All rights reserved.