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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

ACLU Lawsuit Challenges Pasco Zoning Ordinance Barring Community Services for Low-Income People

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging a City of Pasco zoning ordinance that prohibits community services that serve low-income residents from the downtown area.
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Schools May Consider Race in Admissions

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
A federal court has ruled that Seattle Schools may use race as one of several tiebreaking factors in assigning students to schools. The ACLU filed amicus briefs supporting the case.
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ACLU to Support Seattle School Student Assignment Plan in Case Before Supreme Court

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The U.S. Supreme Court this fall will hear the appeal of a ruling that upheld the Seattle School District’s use of race as factor in assigning students to schools. The ACLU of Washington will file a brief in the case, supporting the district’s policy as a way to prevent racial segregation.
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ACLU Urges Supreme Court to Protect Diversity in Public Schools

News Release, Published: 
Friday, November 20, 2009
The U.S. Supreme Court heard two cases on Dec. 4 – including one from Seattle – involving desegregation programs in public schools. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the cases.
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McCleary v. State

Plaintiffs filed this suit to enforce the State’s duty, under the Washington Constitution Article IX, § 1, to provide adequate funding of a “basic education” for all students in public schools statewide.

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