Civil Rights Council

Civil Rights Council is a pilot program in the 8th Congressional District of Massachusetts with 1,700 members. The organization grew out of the social movements surrounding Hurricane Katrina in response to inequality across the United States.

Background

Civil Rights Council was founded on November 9, 2007 in New England. The organization and it's outlook emerged out of the social and economic challenges that emerged from Hurricane Katrina. From those beginnings the organizational perspective expanded to include working and middle class issues.

The organization has begun to operate on two tracks. A Long term track working to include greater social expenditures to house internally displaced people in the United States impacted by hurricanes. Specifically, working to expand federal funding in order to provide these Americans with housing. A short term track includes weekly calls to action to galvanize the American public to "call attention to injustice whereever it lies."

Call to Action

Call to Action is Civil Rights Council's online organizing platform through which it communicates with the public week to week in order to educate Americans AbOUT what goes on in Washington and to facilitate greater democracy in the American political process. Call to action promotes petitioning the government, calling Congress to advance legislation, writing e-mails and sending letters. Call to action also educates the people about what's going on in the policy process. More broadly it is Civil Rights Council's way of educating Americans about the policy process and employing the internet as an educational tool.

Mission statement

Civil Rights Council is a pilot program that connects people working across the country for change. CRC petitions Congress for passage of legislation, registers voters, educates the public and protects civil rights. Civic organizations and elected leadership often tells people what to do. Civil Rights Council listens to what people have to say. Work advanced by Civil Rights Council is meant to channel public energy towards increased accountability at the polls and actionable policy reform.

Hurricane Katrina opened a generation's eyes to a social condition present in every city and state in the Union. Civil Rights Council is committed to creating long term legislative solutions that channel resources to those in need. The organization advocates to the federal government and seeks to develop the infrastructure necessary to remedy the immediate impact of NATURAL disasters by partnering to bring people together and heal the country.

Civil Rights Council works to create institutions to empower people to engage in grass roots change at the local level through movement building by campaigning to advance equality by challenging convention in calling attention to injustice wherever it lies.

The organization is an expression of the 'outraged conscience of a nation.' Outraged that the government is unable to summon the resources necessary to bring the country together. The Declaration of Independence declares 'that all men are created equal.' Civil Rights Council challenges the Congress to fulfill the promise of American democracy for every man, woman and child. Civil Rights Council sounds a call to action, raises the flag and rallies the country to the struggle for civil rights to achieve liberty and justice for all.

Policy Positions

Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act

Civil Rights Council sought passage of the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act. In the House of Representatives House Resolution 1227 was co sponsored by Maxine Waters and Barney Frank. In the United States Senate 12 Senators co-sponsored the partnering Senate Resolution 1668 the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act: John Kerry, Chris Dodd Jack Reed, Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton, [...] Durbin, President Barack Obama, Bob Menendez, Mary Landrieu, Barbara Boxer, Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown.

The legislation was bottled up in Committee by Richard Shelby and David Vitter

Community Development Block Grant

When the Gulf Coast Housing Recovery Act failed to clear the Senate Housing and Banking Committee Civil Rights Council partnered with Congress for passage of a $50 million Community Development Block Grant for Hurricane impacted communities.

Social Service Block Grant

Civil Rights Council currently supports increased expenditures for the Road Home program through a $ 500 million social service block grant. Road Home provides compensation for families and communities impacted by natural disasters.

The 5 Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida are The Primary beneficiaries of these kinds of expenditures.

Road Home FACES a multi-billion dollar Shortfall and if fully funded would be able to provide compensation for housing lost to Hurricanes. Families receiving compensation from Road Home receive on average between $ 70 - 80,000 for a Hurricane impacted home.