Washington Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights & Urban Affairs

Programs: Wlc engages in litigation, public policy advocacy, client counseling and community education to address racial and other forms of discrimination. The committee works on matters that effect the district of columbia and the surrounding region and on cases outside of the region that may have an impact on local residents. We work closely with the private bar to expand the capacity of our staff and rely heavily on firm pro bono partners. Our project priorities include: (1) creating equal opportunity to economic stability for individuals and families; people of color, women, children and persons with disabilities are disproportionately forced to live in poverty. The inequities in the social and legal systems have created circumstances in which social mobility is extremely limited and the gap between rich and poor is expanding. Inequality and immobility is significantly worse in communities of color. Poverty has become as much an inheritance as wealth. Work has become a key element of reducing poverty since welfare "reform," making access to employment, fair wages and stability in work critical. (2) challenging the conditions that force racial and economic segregation and that limit options for safe, decent and affordable housing based on race and national origin; housing segregation is itself inherently unequal and contributes to diminished opportunities for education, work and recreation. Racial segregation in housing is increasing in the district and the region driven by economic development, the effects of discrimination in the criminal legal system and other structural and economic factors. The forces of segregation in the district have deprived low income and many communities of color access to safe, decent and affordable housing. (3) reducing barriers to public services and public accommodations; the ability to access public services or participate in the economy are essential to be full members of society. Everyone, regardless of race, gender, disability or language should be free from discrimination in civic participation, economic activity and social engagement. (4) creating equal opportunity for an education; one of the great unfinished projects of the civil rights movement is addressing inequality in education. Schools are increasingly segregated, separate and unequal. Children of color, with disabilities and english language learners are much more frequently denied the opportunity to thrive and achieve their aspirations. Education reform in the district and in the region, has had some effect, but it is limited. (5) reducing the impact of an unfair criminal system; the criminal system is a prime driver of inequality. Work to address these issues will include: (a) a continued strong emphasis on addressing conditions of incarceration. Persons confined to prisons, jails, immigration detention and other criminal system institutions are confronted with a unique and particularly cruel form of state power. As long as mass incarceration is a fact, the need for prisoners rights advocacy will be essential. (b) strategies to reduce unnecessary and discriminatory contact with the criminal system and that reduces the effects of such contact. Race bias is deeply imbedded in each criminal system component, including the writing of laws, police, prosecutors, courts, prisons and the effects of collateral consequences. These effects are significant whether they result in long-term incarceration, crushing court imposed financial obligations (debtors prisons) or barriers to employment, education or housing after a period of incarceration.