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Racial Justice

The authors of the Declaration of Independence outlined a bold vision for America: a nation in which all people would be free and equal. Yet the forced removal of indigenous peoples and the enslavement of those of African descent marked the beginnings of a system of racial injustice from which our country has yet to break free. Despite important gains made by civil rights activism, the school-to-prison pipeline, mass incarceration, and racial profiling and bias in policing are but a few of the racist injustices that mark the distance between America’s reality and the dream we seek to achieve: liberty and justice for everybody.

Resources

Federal Court Rules Yakima’s Voting System Violates Voting Rights Act

News Release, Published: 
Friday, August 22, 2014
A federal court today ruled that the City of Yakima’s election system for City Council violates the federal Voting Rights Act. The court ruled that the system dilutes Latino votes and that “… City Council elections are not ‘equally open to participation’ by members of the Latino minority.”  According to the ACLU of Washington, although Voting Rights Act lawsuits have forced reforms in many cities’ election systems across the country, this case is the first such suit in Washington state.
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Report to UN Decries Violations of Religious Freedom of Indigenous Prisoners

News Release, Published: 
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
On July 25, Huy and a coalition anchored by the National Congress of American Indians, Native American Rights Fund and American Civil Liberties Union, decried the United States’ violations of American indigenous prisoners’ religious freedoms, to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
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The Housing Crash and Racial Disproportionality

Published: 
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Racial disproportion is endemic in America. A new report on the impact of the housing crash provides fresh evidence of how families of different races are impacted disparately by economic forces. 
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New data from the feds shows need for school discipline reform.

Published: 
Friday, March 21, 2014
The US Department of Education has just released new data on school discipline and arrests.  
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The School Discipline Conversation is Catching On

Published: 
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Students of color, disabled students, and low-income students are all disciplined more often and more harshly than their classmates, despite evidence that they don’t misbehave more often or engage in more troubling behavior.
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Settlement Reins in Border Patrol Stops on the Olympic Peninsula

News Release, Published: 
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
ACLU of Washington and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) announce a settlement agreement in a lawsuit that challenged the Border Patrol’s practice of stopping vehicles and interrogating occupants in the Olympic Peninsula.
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ACLU Brief Says Conviction and Capital Sentence Should Be Overturned Because of Racial Bias

Published: 
Thursday, July 18, 2013
The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees every person the right to a fair trial.  However, if the prosecution is making racist remarks and presenting racially-charged evidence throughout the trial, this right is violated.
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U.S. State Department Gets a Lesson

Published: 
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Last month, Seattle Metro buses were running a disturbing ad.  Funded by the U.S. State Department, the ad featured pictures of 16 men wanted around the globe for terrorist activities.  The pictures of the men, all appearing to be Muslim with turbans, beards, and brown skin, were right below the large, bold message “FACES OF GLOBAL TERRORISM.”
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Minority Racial and Ethnic Communities Call on Liquor Board To Pay Attention to Concerns About Implementation of New Marijuana Law

News Release, Published: 
Monday, June 10, 2013
Today, a group of leaders from Washington’s ethnic and racial communities, in collaboration with the ACLU of Washington, submitted comments addressing the state Liquor Control Board’s initial draft rules for Initiative 502.
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House Passes Washington Voting Rights Act

News Release, Published: 
Friday, March 8, 2013
The Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA), HB 1413, today passed the Washington House of Representatives by a vote of  53-44. Sponsored by Representative Luis Moscoso and Senator Sharon Nelson, the bill is designed to ensure fair representation and accountability in local governments throughout the state.
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