The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (The Leadership Conference), formerly called the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, is an umbrella group of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life ...

interest groups.

Organizational history

The Leadership Conference was founded in 1950 by leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement:

Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Founded in 1925, The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) was the first labor organization led by African Americans to receive a charter in the American Federation of Labor (AFL). The BSCP gathered a membership of 18,000 passenger railway ...

founder

A. Philip Randolph Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was an American labor unionist and civil rights activist. In 1925, he organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first successful African-American led labor union. I ...

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&n ...

executive secretary Roy Wilkins, National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council leader

Arnold Aronson Arnold Aronson (March 11, 1911 – February 17, 1998) was a founder of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and served as its executive secretary from 1950 to 1980. In 1941 he worked with A. Philip Randolph to pressure President Franklin ...

, and

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American Labor unions in the United States, labor union that represents workers in the Un ...

president, Walter Reuther. Rather than staging sit-in protests or marches in the streets, the organization worked directly to pass laws with Congress protecting rights for everyone.

Leadership and organizational structure

The Leadership Conference is currently led by Maya Wiley who took the helm in 2022 upon the retirement of

Wade Henderson Wade J. Henderson (born April 22, 1948) is an African-American advocate, community leader and governmental activist. He has served as president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and counsel to the Leadership Conferenc ...

who had served as President and CEO of both The Leadership Conference and The Leadership Conference Education Fund (see below) from 2010-2017 and as interim President and CEO since the departure of Vanita Gupta in 2021. Previously, Karen McGill Lawson was Executive Vice President and COO of both organizations; and Nancy M. Zirkin was Executive Vice President for Policy of both organizations.

Dorothy Height Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010) was an African American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height is c ...

, who had been Chairperson of the Leadership Conference's Executive Committee, died on April 20, 2010. As of December 2022, the Leadership Conference website reported that the organization had "more than 30" member organizations. The site described the organization's mission as "promot ngand protect ngthe civil and human rights of all persons in the United States . . . rough advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies . . . ." According to the organization's website, "The Leadership Conference is a 501(c)(4) organization that engages in legislative advocacy. It ... has coordinated national lobbying efforts on behalf of every major civil rights law since 1957." The Leadership Conference Education Fund, described by the Leadership Conference website as "the education and research arm of The Leadership Conference," was founded in 1969. It was previously known as the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund. According to the Leadership Conference website, the Education Fund "builds public will for federal policies that promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. The Education Fund's campaigns empower and mobilize advocates around the country to push for progressive change in the United States." The Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization, which means that contributions are tax-deductible.

Issues

The Leadership Conference focuses on democracy, justice, inclusion and opportunity. The organization scores members of Congress based on their votes for civil rights issues.

Member organizations

A. Philip Randolph Institute The A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) is an organization for African-American trade unionists. APRI advocates social, labor, and economic change at the state and federal level, using legal and legislative means. History In response to the 1963 ...

* AARP *

AAUW The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,00 ...

(formerly known as the American Association of University Women) * Advancement Project * Alaska Federation of Natives *

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen s ...

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved in ...

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) states that it is "the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States." According to its webpage it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities ...

* American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity *

American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) is a Non-profit organization, nonprofit national alliance of education programs, which is dedicated to professional development of Pre-K–12 (education), K-12 teachers and school l ...

American Association of People with Disabilities The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which advocates for the legal rights of people with disabilities.Imparato, Andrew J. 2005. "AAPD In Its Second Decade," ''AAPDnews'' (Spring 2005), p ...

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...

American Council of the Blind The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a nationwide organization in the United States. It is an organization mainly made up of blind and visually impaired people who want to achieve independence and equality (although there are many sighted ...

American Ethical Union The Ethical movement, also referred to as the Ethical Culture movement, Ethical Humanism or simply Ethical Culture, is an ethical, educational, and religious movement that is usually traced back to Felix Adler (1851–1933).

* American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO * American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations * American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO * American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO * American Humanist Association *

American Islamic Congress Founded late in 2001, the American Islamic Congress (AIC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in the United States. AIC is a non-religious, civil rights organization whose stated goal is to build interfaith and inter-ethnic understandin ...

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish o ...

* American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO *

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Americans for Democratic Action Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) is a liberal American political organization advocating progressive policies. ADA views itself as supporting social and economic justice through lobbying, grassroots organizing, research, and supporting pr ...

* Americans United for Separation of Church and State * Amnesty International USA * The Andrew Goodman Foundation *

Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...

* Appleseed * Arab American Institute Foundation * The Arc * Asian Americans Advancing Justice * Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum *

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) is a nonprofit organization of Asian-Pacific American trade union members affiliated with the AFL–CIO. It was the "first and only national organization for Asian Pacific American union members ...

, AFL-CIO * The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. * Association of People Supporting Employment First * Association of University Centers on Disabilities *

Autistic Self Advocacy Network The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization run by and for individuals on the autism spectrum. ASAN advocates for the inclusion of autistic people in decisions that affect them, including: ...

* Bend the Arc * B'nai B'rith International * Brennan Center for Justice at

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in ...

* Campaign for Youth Justice *

Center for Constitutional Rights The Center for Constitutional RightsThe Center for Constitutional Rights
(CCR) is a

Center for Law and Social Policy The Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is an American organization, based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for policies aimed at improving the lives of low-income people. History The Center for Law and Social Policy was founded ...

* Center for Media Justice *

Center for Popular Democracy The Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) is an American advocacy group that promotes progressive politics. CPD is a federation of groups that includes some of the old chapters of ACORN. The group's stated goal is to "envision and win an innovative p ...

* Center for Reproductive Rights *

Center for Responsible Lending The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a nonprofit organization research and policy group based in Durham, North Carolina. Its stated purpose is to educate the public about financial products and to push for policies that curb predatory lend ...

* Children's Defense Fund * Church of the Brethren - World Ministries Commission * Coalition of Black Trade Unionists *

Coalition on Human Needs A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

* Common Cause *

Communications Workers of America The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors (also in Canada and Puerto Rico). The union has 27 ...

, AFL-CIO * Community Action Partnership * Community Change *

Compassion & Choices Compassion & Choices is a nonprofit organization in the United States working to improve patient autonomy and individual choice at the end of life, including access to medical aid in dying. Its primary function is advocating for and ensuring acce ...

* Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities * Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. * DC Vote * Defending Rights and Dissent *

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emph ...

* Dēmos * Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund *

Drug Policy Alliance The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is a New York City–based nonprofit organization that seeks to advance policies that “reduce the harms of both drug use and drug prohibition, and to promote the sovereignty of individuals over their minds and ...

Equal Justice Society Equal(s) may refer to: Mathematics * Equality (mathematics). * Equals sign (=), a mathematical symbol used to indicate equality. Arts and entertainment * Equals (film), ''Equals'' (film), a 2015 American science fiction film * Equals (game), ''Eq ...

* Equally American Legal Defense and Education Fund * FairVote *

Families USA Families USA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan consumer health advocacy and policy organization. Co-founded founded in 1981 by Ronald Pollack, the first executive director, and Philippe Villers, the organization's current president, Families USA's advo ...

* Federally Employed Women * Feminist Majority *

Friends Committee on National Legislation The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan Quaker organization. As a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, FCNL and its network lobby Congress and the administration to promote peace, justice, and environm ...

Girls Inc. Girls Inc. (established in 1864) is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which encourages girls to be "Strong, Smart, and Bold" through direct service and advocacy. The organization prioritizes equipping girls with the skills to n ...

* GLSEN * Hadassah, The Women's Zionist Organization of America * Hindu American Foundation * Hip Hop Caucus * Hispanic Federation * Human Rights Campaign * Human Rights First *

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human ...

* Impact Fund * Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice * International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers * International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies * International Brotherhood of Teamsters * International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America * Iota Phi Lambda * Japanese American Citizens League * Jewish Council for Public Affairs * Jewish Labor Committee * Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law * Justice in Aging *

Juvenile Law Center Juvenile Law Center, founded in 1975, is a non-profit public interest law firm for children in the United States. History Juvenile Law Center was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1975 by four Temple University Beasley School of Law ...

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, cree ...

* Labor Council for Latin American Advancement * Laborers' International Union of North America * Lambda Legal * LatinoJustice PRLDEF *

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, or simply the Lawyers' Committee, is a civil rights organization founded in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy. At the time, Alabama Governor George Wallace had vowed to resist cou ...

* League of United Latin American Citizens *

League of Women Voters of the United States The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

* Legal Aid At Work *

Legal Momentum Legal Momentum, founded in 1970, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the nation's first and longest-serving legal advocacy group for women in the United States. Betty Friedan and Muriel Fox were its co-founders and Muriel Fox is an ongoing leader of the ...

* Matthew Shepard Foundation * Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund * Muslim Advocates * Muslim Public Affairs Council * NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund * NALEO Educational Fund * National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity * National Alliance Of Postal and Federal Employees * National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education *

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.& ...

(NAACP) * National Association of Community Health Centers * National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA) * National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities * National Association of Human Rights Workers *

National Association of Neighborhoods National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

National Association of Social Workers The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is a professional organization of social workers in the United States. NASW has about 120,000 members. The NASW provides guidance, research, up to date information, advocacy, and other resources ...

* National Bar Association *

National Black Caucus of State Legislators The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to state legislatures in the United States and its territories. Background NBCSL was founded in 1977 after a gro ...

* National Black Justice Coalition *

National Center for Learning Disabilities National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

* National Center for Special Education in Charter Schools *

National Center for Transgender Equality The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) is a nonprofit social equality organization founded in 2003 by transgender activist Mara Keisling in Washington, D.C. The organization works primarily in the areas of policy advocacy and med ...

* National Center for Youth Law * National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development * National Coalition for the Homeless * National Coalition on Black Civic Participation * National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty *

National College Access Network National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

* National Congress of American Indians * National Consumer Law Center * National Council of Churches * National Council of Jewish Women * National Council of Negro Women * National Council of Teachers of English * National Council on Independent Living *

National Disability Rights Network National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

National Down Syndrome Congress The National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC) is a national not-for-profit organization that provides individuals, families, and health care providers information and support about Down syndrome, as well as advocating with and on behalf of individu ...

* National Education Association * National Employment Law Projects * National Employment Lawyers Association * National Fair Housing Alliance * National Farmers Union * National Indian Education Association * National LGBTQ Task Force * National Health Law Program * National Hispanic Media Coalition *

National Immigration Forum The National Immigration Forum is an immigrant advocacy non-profit group, based in Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the Na ...

* National Immigration Law Center *

National Korean American Service and Education Consortium The National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC, and 미주한인봉사교육단체협의회 or 미교협 in Korean) is a national service, advocacy and education organization for two non-profit multi-issue grassroots l ...

* National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health * National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty * National Lawyers Guild *

National Legal Aid and Defender Association The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is the oldest and largest national, nonprofit membership organization devoted to advocating equal justice for all Americans and was established in 1911. History The Fourteenth Amendment to ...

* National Low Income Housing Coalition * National Network for Arab American Communities * National Organization for Women * National Partnership for Women and Families * National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. * National Urban League * National Women's Law Center * Native American Rights Fund * New Jersey Institute for Social Justice *

Newspaper Guild The NewsGuild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933. In addition to improving wages and working conditions, its constitution says its purpose is to fight for honesty in journalism and the news industry's business practic ...

9to5, National Association of Working Women 9to5, National Association of Working Women is an organization established in 1973 that is dedicated to improving working conditions and ensuring the rights of women and families in the United States. The group has its origins in ''9to5 News'', ...

OCA OCA or Oca may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * The ancient town and bishopric Oca in Asia Minor (present Asia Turkey), now a Latin Catholic titular see * The former Spanish Oca, modern Villafranca Montes de Oca, also see of a medieval bis ...

(formerly known as

Organization of Chinese Americans OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates (previously known as the Organization of Chinese Americans) is a non-profit organization founded in 1973, whose stated mission is to advance the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans a ...

) *Office of Communication of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty a ...

* Open Society Policy Center *

Paralyzed Veterans of America The Paralyzed Veterans of America is a veterans' service organization in the United States of America, founded in 1946. The organization holds 33 chapters and 70 National Service Offices in the United States and Puerto Rico. It is based in Washi ...

* PFLAG * People For the American Way *

Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young Afr ...

* Planned Parenthood Federation of America * PolicyLink * Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC) * Pride at Work * Prison Policy Initiative * Public Advocates Inc. * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism * Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, AFL-CIO * Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law *

Secular Coalition for America The Secular Coalition for America is an advocacy group located in Washington D.C. It describes itself as "representing the interests of atheists, humanists, freethinkers, agnostics, and other nontheistic Americans." The Secular Coalition has chap ...

* Service Employees International Union * The Sierra Club *

Sigma Gamma Rho Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority, international collegiate, and non-profit community service organization that was founded on November 12, 1922, by seven educators on the Irvington campus (1875– ...

* Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund *

Sikh Coalition The Sikh Coalition is a Sikh-American advocacy group that defends Sikh civil rights founded in 2001 with offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Fremont, California. The Sikh Coalition, was originally named the Coalition of Sikh Organi ...

* South Asian Americans Leading Together * Southeast Asia Resource Action Center *

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a large role in the American civ ...

Southern Poverty Law Center The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal advocacy organization specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, it is known for its legal cases against white ...

* TASH * Teach For America * Transportation Learning Center * UnidosUS (formerly National Council of La Raza) *

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establishe ...

* United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America *

United Farm Workers of America The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...

, AFL-CIO * United Food and Commercial Workers International Union *

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

General Board of Church and Society The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is a general agency of the United Methodist Church. It is one of four international general program boards of The United Methodist Church as set out the ''UMC Book of Discipline''. The General Board h ...

* United Mine Workers, AFL-CIO *

United States International Council on Disabilities United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

* United States Student Association * United Steelworkers *

Voices for Progress Voices or The Voices may refer to: Film and television * ''Voices'' (1920 film), by Chester M. De Vonde, with Diana Allen * ''Voices'' (1973 film), a British horror film * ''Voices'' (1979 film), a film by Robert Markowitz * ''Voices'' (1 ...

* The Voter Participation Center *

Voto Latino Voto Latino is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization in the United States, founded in 2004. The organization's primary aim is to encourage young Hispanic and Latino voters to register to vote and become more politically involved. The organization ...

* Workers Defense League *

YWCA USA : ''For other uses, including specific buildings and chapters, see Young Women's Christian Association (disambiguation).'' YWCA USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedo ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leadership Conference On Civil And Human Rights Political advocacy groups in the United States 501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations Liberalism in the United States Organizations established in 1950 1950 establishments in the United States