Racial Justice Resources: National Racial Justice Organizations

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Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Student Organizations

• American Arab Ant-Discrimination Committee

  ADC is a civil rights organization committed to defending the rights of people of Arab descent and promoting their rich cultural heritage. It was founded by former U.S. Senator James Abourezk in 1980. Today, ADC is the largest Arab American grassroots organization in the U.S.ADC supports the human and civil rights of all people and opposes racism and bigotry in any form.

• Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL)
  The Arab American Civil Rights League (ACRL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in 2011 in response to the overwhelming need in the Arab-American community for advocacy and protection of civil rights and liberties. The ACRL  is committed to protecting the civil rights of Arab Americans through education and advocacy. The organization works to build coalitions, promote understanding and cooperation and combat negative stereotypes.

• Arab American Institute
  Established in 1985 and based in Washington, DC, the Arab American Institute (AAI) is a non-profit, nonpartisan national leadership organization. AAI was created to nurture and encourage the direct participation of Arab Americans in political and civic life in the United States.

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
  A large nonprofit organization that works "in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country." See its Free Speech - Rights of Protesters and Student Speech and Privacy pages.
   
• Amnesty International (USA)
  "The world's largest grassroots human rights organization." See its Protest Resources & Toolkits and Deadly Force & Police Accountability pages.
   
• Black Lives Matter
  "Founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, the Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes."
   
• Black Youth Project 100
  "A national member-based organization of 18-35 year old activists and organizers creating freedom and justice for all Black people." See its Agenda to Build Black Futures and She Safe We Safe pages.
   
• Campaign Zero
  This organization researches and analyzes "policing practices across the country, provides technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and develops model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide."
   
• Center for Policing Equity
  "The Center for Policing Equity works to help police departments realize their own equity goals...and advance the scientific understanding of issues of equity within organizations and policing."
   
• Civil Liberties Defense Center
  "Supports movements that seek to dismantle the political and economic structures at the root of social inequality and environmental destruction." See its Know Your Rights page.
   
• Color of Change

  The nation’s largest online racial justice organization. With 1.7 million members, they help people respond effectively to injustice.  They work with  decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.

• Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB)
  Formed in 2000, this group "was created to deal with police brutality in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area on an ongoing basis." Under the publications tab, there are links to reports, fact sheets, and an online tutorial "Police Brutality 101."
   
• Dream Defenders
  "A multiracial group of young people" that "practices transformative justice, an abolitionist way of dealing with conflict and holding people accountable in opposition to the punitive nature of the prison system...." See its Freedom Papers and Projects pages.
   
• Equal Justice Initiative
  The Equal Justice Initiative "is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society."
   
• Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in Education (FIRE)
  A nonpartisan organization that seeks to defend and sustain the individual rights of students and faculty members at America's colleges and universities." See its Student Network page, with links to Defend & Protect Your Rights and Tips for Activism information and more.
   
• Future Voters Project
  Their mission is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. Their goal is to register all eligible students by the time they graduate high school to vote.
   
• Indian Law Resource Center
  The Indian Law Resource Center is a non-profit law and advocacy organization that advocates for the protection of indigenous peoples human rights, cultures, and traditional lands. The site contains descriptions of casework, newsletter archives, and links to reserach resources and organizations instrumental to winning recognition of indigenous rights.
   
• Institute for Justice Reform & Innovation (IJRI)
  Drake University Law School’s IJRI provides resources and training on a number of issues, including creating a more just system of civil and criminal justice.
   
• International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
  The world's largest "professional association for police leaders," the IACP "is dedicated to advancing the policing profession through advocacy, research, outreach, and education in order to provide for safer communities worldwide."
   

• Japanese American Citizens League (JACL)
  Works to protect the rights of all segments of the Asian Pacific American community.

• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
  Works to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide.

• Mapping Police Violence
  “ Mapping Police Violence is a research collaborative collecting comprehensive data on police killings nationwide to quantify the impact of police violence in communities.”
   
• Mothers Against Police Brutality
  MAPB formed to unite mothers who have lost their children to police violence. They support justice for victims of police brutality and deadly force. They are a multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalition uniting mothers nationwide to fight for civil rights, police accountability, and policy reform.
   
• Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
  M4BL works with individuals and other organizations to "create a shared vision and policy agenda to win rights, recognition, and resources for Black people."
   
• My Brother's Keeper
  Resources on police violence and antiracism in America. Includes the video from the June 3, 2020 virtual presentation, "A conversation with President Obama: Reimagining Policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence."
   

• NALEO
  NALEO Educational Fund is the nation’s leading non-profit, non-partisan organization that facilitates full Latino participation in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.

• National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
  Works to secure the rights and benefits of Indians under treaties with the United States, to give the public a better understanding of the Indian people, and to promote the common welfare of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
  "Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans."
   
• National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)
  The NBJC strives to bridge "the gaps between the movements for racial justice and LGBTQ/SGL equality."
   
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  A large civil rights organization that seeks "to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons." See its We Are Done Dying page, with links to Policy Demand pages on Criminal Justice, Economic, Health, and Voting. Each Policy Demand page includes action initiatives.
   
• National Lawyer's Guild - National Police Accountability Project
  A 501(c)(3) organization that seeks "to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States." See its Blog & News.
   

• National Native American Law Enforcement Association (NNALEA)
  The mission of the National Native American Law Enforcement Association is to promote and foster mutual cooperation between Native American law enforcement officers, agents and personnel, their agencies, tribes, private industry and public.

• Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
  Since 1970, the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) has provided legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation. NARF has asserted and defended the most important rights of Indians and tribes in hundreds of major cases, and has achieved significant results in such critical areas as tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, natural resource protection, and Indian education.
   

• OCA (formerly known as Organization of Chinese Americans)
  Works to advance the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States.

• Organization for Black Struggle
  A Black-led inter-generational organization committed "to fight for political power, economic justice and cultural dignity for African Americans, especially the Black working class." See its Movement Resources page.
   
• National Police Accountability Project (NPAP)
  NPAP is a project of the National Lawyers Guild founded "to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States."
   
• Racial Equity Institute
  "An alliance of trainers, organizers, and institutional leaders ...devoted ... to the work of creating racially equitable organizations and systems." See its Resources page.
   
• Racial Justice Improvement Project
  This ABA initiative “is designed to identify and reform policies and practices that produce racial disparities in local criminal justice systems across the country.”
   

• Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ)
  Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, seeks to move white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice.

• Unidos
  Works for civil rights and economic opportunities for Hispanic Americans and as a national umbrella organization for more than 300 formal affiliates in 41 states. Formerly: National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

• United We Dream
  Works to eradicate discrimination of undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. They empower immigrant youth to develop their leadership, their organizing skills, and to develop their own campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels to fight for justice and dignity for immigrants and all people.

• Vera Institute of Justice
  The institute "envision[s] a society that respects the dignity of every person and safeguards justice for everyone." The Research & Analysis section provides access to reports on a wide range of topics, including policing and community, racial bias in prosecution, reducing the use of jail, and more.

ABA Journal news
News and analysis on topics such as access to justice and diversity.

Bloomberg Law News (Bloomberg password required)
News and analysis including social justice topics, from sexual harassment to racial discrimination. Searchable for keywords such as social justice and race.

Law 360: Access to Justice (available on campus or through ASURITE)
Exploring issues related to the criminal justice system, including immigration, policing, criminal law, incarceration, and disparate impacts on racial, ethnic, and other minority groups.

Law.com News
This website aimed at legal professionals features news and analysis arranged by topics including diversity and civil rights.

Westlaw Edge News (Westlaw password required)
Searchable database of news and analysis, highlighting topics such as immigration and criminal justice.