Racial Equality
The LAS–ELC’s Racial Equality Program seeks racial justice and expanded employment opportunities for people of color through the enforcement of civil rights laws. Our program provides legal assistance to individuals and groups of employees who encounter barriers to employment, problems at work, or discriminatory hiring or employment practices because of their race.
The tools we use include:
- Legal help: LAS–ELC represents individuals through litigation and administrative advocacy to enforce their civil rights in the workplace.
- Lawsuits: LAS–ELC engages in class action litigation on behalf of groups of employees who are subjected to discriminatory employment practices and other systemic racial discrimination, including protecting affirmative action plans, when threatened.
- Advocacy: LAS–ELC drafts appellate and amicus (Friends of the Court) briefs, and engages in legislative advocacy to enhance and expand protections for people who have faced discrimination because of their race.
- Technical Assistance: LAS–ELC provides self-help tools and technical assistance, such as fact sheets and sample letters to employers, and limited representation to people in situations where proper guidance to employers and others in the workplace may help resolve the problem.
- Collaboration: LAS–ELC collaborates with a range of advocates and communities to identify and strengthen the common interests of persons with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, women, people of color, immigrants, language minorities, labor, and working people with caretaking obligations.