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21 Jan, 2012

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Announces Briefings on Important Civil Rights Issues

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The United States Commission on Civil Rights announces that at its monthly business meeting on January 13, 2012 the eight-member Commission voted in a bipartisan manner to hold four new briefings on important civil rights topics.

These topics include the effectiveness of the federal government’s post-9/11 civil rights engagement with the Arab and Muslim American communities to end prejudice and discrimination against them; the tension between associational freedoms of religious institutions and anti-discrimination laws; the impact that regulatory and other barriers have upon new and emerging small businesses, especially minority-owned businesses; and state compliance with provisions of the federal National Voter Registration Act.

Commission Chairman Martin R. Castro stated, “We look forward to utilizing the Commission’s historic mandate and unique strengths in exploring these timely and diverse topics. Each of these topics, along with our upcoming briefings on sex trafficking as a form of gender discrimination and whether state immigration enforcement laws violate persons’ civil rights, all constitute pressing national civil rights issues that ultimately affect everyone regardless of background.”

The Commission will announce briefing dates of upcoming briefings in the near future to allow the public time to plan attendance and submit public comments if they choose. Brief descriptions of each topic will be available from the Commission by email request to publicaffairs@usccr.gov.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency charged with monitoring federal civil rights enforcement. Members include Chairman Martin Castro and Commissioners Roberta Achtenberg, Todd Gaziano, Gail Heriot, Peter Kirsanow, David Kladney, Abigail Thernstrom, and Michael Yaki. Commission meetings and briefings are open to the general public. The Commission’s website is http://www.usccr.gov.