Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights
Encyclopedia
The Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan organization established in 1982 to monitor the civil rights
policies and practices of the federal government in the United States
. Its work is grounded in the belief that the civil rights agenda benefits the entire country, not just particular interest groups. For the nation to remain strong, we must continue to struggle together to fight bias and invidious discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity in education, employment, and housing, to promote political and economic empowerment and to guarantee equal treatment in the administration of justice. Achieving these goals depends upon vigorous civil rights enforcement as a duty and obligation of the federal government. Over the last decade, the Citizens' Commission has been one of a handful of organizations that has had a profound influence on federal education reform designed to provide opportunity for poor children, children of color, children with limited English proficiency, and children with disabilities.
, have recognized the compelling need to use affirmative action programs to remedy longstanding problems of discrimination. The Nixon
Administration created the "Philadelphia Plan
" that required federal contractors to use racial "goals and timetables" to hire qualified minority workers. The Reagan
Administration supported minority business set-aside programs. The Clinton
Administration sought to "mend, not end" affirmative action programs following adverse Supreme Court decisions. The Congress has created and extended programs to enhance minority contracting opportunities, and has defeated attempts to stop affirmative action programs in other areas. The Bush
Administration has a mixed record on affirmative action.
The members of the Citizens' Commission are a diverse and distinguished group of former government officials and leaders in business, education, and religious and civic life. List of well known commissioners are Eleanor Holmes Norton
, Roger Wilkins
, Bill Bradley
, Father Theodore M. Hesburgh
, Frankie Muse Freeman, Ray Marshall
, and the late Augustus F. Hawkins
.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
policies and practices of the federal government in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its work is grounded in the belief that the civil rights agenda benefits the entire country, not just particular interest groups. For the nation to remain strong, we must continue to struggle together to fight bias and invidious discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity in education, employment, and housing, to promote political and economic empowerment and to guarantee equal treatment in the administration of justice. Achieving these goals depends upon vigorous civil rights enforcement as a duty and obligation of the federal government. Over the last decade, the Citizens' Commission has been one of a handful of organizations that has had a profound influence on federal education reform designed to provide opportunity for poor children, children of color, children with limited English proficiency, and children with disabilities.
Affirmative Action
For more than 30 years, both Republican and Democratic Administrations, and bipartisan majorities in United States CongressUnited States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, have recognized the compelling need to use affirmative action programs to remedy longstanding problems of discrimination. The Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
Administration created the "Philadelphia Plan
Revised Philadelphia Plan
The Revised Philadelphia Plan was a plan that required government contractors in Philadelphia to hire minority workers. Department of Labor Assistant Secretary for Wage and Labor Standards Arthur Fletcher implemented the Revised Philadelphia Plan in 1969, based on an earlier plan developed in 1967...
" that required federal contractors to use racial "goals and timetables" to hire qualified minority workers. The Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
Administration supported minority business set-aside programs. The Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
Administration sought to "mend, not end" affirmative action programs following adverse Supreme Court decisions. The Congress has created and extended programs to enhance minority contracting opportunities, and has defeated attempts to stop affirmative action programs in other areas. The Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration has a mixed record on affirmative action.
The members of the Citizens' Commission are a diverse and distinguished group of former government officials and leaders in business, education, and religious and civic life. List of well known commissioners are Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton
Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to Congress representing the District of Columbia. In her position she is able to serve on and vote with committees, as well as speak from the House floor...
, Roger Wilkins
Roger Wilkins
Roger Wilkins is an African American civil rights leader, professor of history, and journalist.-Biography:Wilkins was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Michigan...
, Bill Bradley
Bill Bradley
William Warren "Bill" Bradley is an American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, and former three-term Democratic U.S. Senator from New Jersey. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party's nomination for President in the 2000 election.Bradley was born and raised in a suburb of St....
, Father Theodore M. Hesburgh
Theodore Hesburgh
The Rev. Theodore Martin Hesburgh, CSC, STD , a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, is President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. He is the namesake for TIAA-CREF's Hesburgh Award....
, Frankie Muse Freeman, Ray Marshall
Ray Marshall
Freddie Ray Marshall is the Professor Emeritus of the Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin....
, and the late Augustus F. Hawkins
Augustus F. Hawkins
Augustus Freeman "Gus" Hawkins was a prominent African American Democratic Party politician and a figure in the history of Civil Rights and organized labor. He served as the first African American from California in the United States Congress, where he sponsored the Humphrey-Hawkins Full...
.