On November 7th, the American people said, “we want change.”
Well, the civil rights community also wants change. After six years of a Congress that practically ignored civil rights, those of us who work on these issues that affect millions of Americans’ day-to-day lives are hopeful. The 110th Congress looks like it will embrace and handle civil rights issues with the time and seriousness they deserve.
And theHouse is off to a great start. As part of its “100 hours” promise to America, it passed not only a bill to raise the minimum wage but one that slashed interest rates on student loans. Both were long overdue.
But there is so much more that Congress can do. The civil rights community has
a laundry list of priorities that we’d also like to see addressed:
renewed enforcement of fair housing laws; full funding for the Census Bureau; and stronger legislation to combat predatory lending, hate crimes, and racial profiling.This new Congress also offers the opportunity to regain lost ground on the effective enforcement of our civil rights laws, which will be our number one priority. These are the laws that protect the basic rights of every citizen.
The new Democratic House delivered on their “100 hours” promise with time to spare. The civil rights community expects to do the same. It is our job to push Congress – Democrats and Republicans -- and to inform them of the impact of the laws they pass.
We all have so much work to do. And for the first time in a long time, that work has a chance to bear fruit.