Coalition Asks FCC to Focus on Diversity in Quadrennial Ownership Rule Review

Broadcasting and Cable

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights says FCC has no meaningful policies to address racial and gender inequalities in media ownership

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/2/2011 4:55:34 PM

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has written the FCC to ask that it focus on diversity in its quadrennial ownership rule review. In addition to the congressional mandate for the review, the FCC is also taking a fresh look on orders from the Third Circuit, which remanded its last rule changes back to the commission in July for a better explanation of the diversity efforts as part of its last rule revision in 2007.

Full Story: http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/477409-Coalition_Asks_FCC_to_Focus_on_Diversity_in_Quadrennial_Ownership_Rule_Review.php

Leadership Conference Lists Groups of Haiti Aid Organizations

The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, www.civilrights.org, of which AAAA is a member, has posted a list of member organizations that are providing relief to victims of the Haiti earthquake. See more information below:

Join Our Coalition Members in Providing Relief for Haiti Earthquake Victims

More than 3 million Haitians are injured or homeless after a major earthquake devastated the island. Member organizations of The Leadership Conference and/or affiliates have Haiti relief efforts. Please take a moment and support their efforts to help the people of Haiti rebuild.
Catholic Relief ServicesDonate via phone: 1-877-HELP-CRS or text RELIEF to 30644Donate online: www.crs.org Write a check: Catholic Relief ServicesP.O. Box 17090Baltimore, Maryland 21203-7090Memo portion of check: Haiti Earthquake
Hip Hop CaucusPlease make a donation today to Yele Haiti, Wyclef's organization, to support immediate relief to the people of Haiti. Text "Yele" to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill). Or you can visit www.Yele.org and click on DONATE.
National Congress of Black Women, IncDr. E. Faye Williams, Esq., National Chair, 1251 4th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024, 202/678-6788,E-mail: Info@nationalcongressbw.org,Website: www.nationalcongressbw.org
Jewish Council for Public AffairsAmerican Jewish Joint Distribution Committee JDC (Attn: Haiti Crisis) P.O Box 530132 East 43rd Street,New York, NY 10017 Donations are also being accepted online www.JDC.org
Union for Reform Judaismhttp://urj.org/socialaction/issues/relief/haiti/
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism2027 Massachusetts Ave, NWWashington, DC 20036Phone: (202) 387-2800Fax: (202) 667-9070www.rac.org
General Board of Church & SocietyUnited Methodist Committee on Reliefwww.umcor.org
The United Methodist ChurchWayne RhodesDirector of Communications100 Maryland Avenue, NEWashington, D.C. 20002(202) 488-5630 / wrhodes@umc-gbcs.org
United Church of Christ/Global MinistriesChecks payable to: Wider Church Ministries (Note in memo portion "OGHS – Haitian Relief")700 Prospect AvenueCleveland, OH 44115Make a secure online donation to the OGHS International Disaster Relief fund.
AARP FoundationAARP Foundation has established a disaster relief fund. It will match dollar for dollar up to $500,000 all contributions made to the AARP Foundation Haiti Relief Fund.http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/aarp_foundation/
AFL-CIO
Other Places to Donate
Text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill.
Global Giving
Direct Relief International
Church World Service
American Red Cross
World Vision
Doctors Without Borders
Partners in Health
Red Cross International Response Fund
RN Response Network
Solidarity Center Education Fund
United Way Worldwide Disaster Fund

http://www.civilrights.org/donate/haiti-relief.html

Reverse discrimination ruling leaves confusion

San Francisco Chronicle
By DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Supreme Court ruling in favor of white New Haven firefighters who said they were victims of reverse discrimination will probably leave employers confused, civil rights advocates and labor attorneys say.
The court ruled 5-4 Monday that the white firefighters were denied promotions unfairly because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as a federal appeals court judge.
The majority of justices said the city was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results. The city said it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.
While the court upheld that employers still have an obligation under civil rights laws to avoid discrimination in hiring, promoting and compensating workers, the ruling creates confusing standards on how to meet that obligation, said Wade Henderson, president and chief executive of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.
"Employers will now face a convoluted minefield when attempting to protect workers from discrimination," Henderson said. "Employers are looking for bright lines ... they're looking for clear directives to help them better understand how they can engage in nondiscriminatory decisions."
The ruling is confusing, Henderson said, because the high court seemed to say that while New Haven officials tried to avoid discrimination, throwing out the test was discriminatory. "It puts employers in a real quandary," he said.
The Obama administration should direct the government's civil rights agencies to offer guidance on the ruling, said Shirley Wilcher, executive director of the American Association for Affirmative Action.
"In the meantime, we're scratching our heads," she said. "We're concerned about the impact on employers who want to comply with the law and do not want to discriminate ... and it's not clear how to do that."

Full Story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/29/national/w070244D76.DTL

Civil Rights Coalition Applauds House Passage of Important Hate Crimes Bill

Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Press Release
April 29, 2009
Contact: Maggie Kao (202) 466-2735

Statement of Wade Henderson, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights

Washington, D.C. – The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation’s largest civil and human rights coalition, released the following statement on today’s House passage of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913):

“We once again applaud the House’s bipartisan passage of this important civil rights law.

Today’s House vote is a victory for more than 300 civil rights, human rights, religious, and law enforcement organizations, who have come out in support of the bill.

Most importantly, it is a victory for those who may find themselves targeted because of the color of their skin, their gender identity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. It is a victory for the families of victims of hate crimes – people like Angie Zapata of Colorado, Luis Ramirez of Pennsylvania, Billy Ray Johnson of Texas, and Matthew Shepard of Wyoming.

The right to be protected and the right to be safe and free from physical harm or intimidation, is probably the most fundamental of all the civil and human rights.

Today, the House has sent a clear message that Americans do not have to live in fear. We look forward to swift Senate action.”

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The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most diverse civil and human rights coalition. For more information on LCCR and its more than 200 member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.