WASHINGTON — The National Health Law Program is proud to stand with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and dozens of fellow nonprofit organizations in endorsing The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment. This agreement affirms our shared commitment to mutual support in the face of growing threats and hostile actions from the White House and federal agencies targeting nonprofits engaged in critical public service and advocacy on behalf of millions across the country.
The Pact is the next step in a series of coordinated actions by the coalition, including an open letter to the American people and pledge to take action, in addition to chronicling civil rights mobilizations.
“The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment” states clearly why this commitment is necessary. “Today we face a campaign by the government to interrupt and intimidate the ability of those who represent the vulnerable, ensure people know their rights, have a voice to make demands of their government, organize unions and speak freely and have their rights protected. We will not be silent, divided or stop serving the public or allow the people we serve to be harmed. The administration has made clear it will attack organizations that speak truth to power, defend the vulnerable, petition and sue the government, preserve and share knowledge, and fight for our freedoms. They want us to fight alone, hoping we’ll stay silent as others are targeted. Not us.”
The Pact outlines specific commitments the signatories have made, including:
- “When any of our organizations are unjustly targeted, we will stand as a unified coalition. An attack on one is an attack on all.” “We will share knowledge, resources, and support with any organization threatened by abuses of power.”
- “We will not abandon our missions or self-censor out of fear. The people we serve depend on us now more than ever.”
- “We will not be silenced. We will continue to do the work that puts people over power.”
Our coalition represents people who are Black, White, Latino, Asian and Indigenous, from cities, suburbs, and rural communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, workers, women, immigrants, and people of all ethnicities, faiths, ages and backgrounds. Our organizations exist because all people need and deserve:
- Good health care
- Dignity at work, fair wages, and the right to join a union
- Freedom to learn our full history and celebrate our cultures
- Access to high-quality public schools, colleges, and universities
- Housing we can afford
- Access to a lawyer and to see a judge when we have been treated unjustly
- Clean air and water in our communities
- The right to vote and have our votes counted
- Freedom from discrimination, no matter our identity
- Enough food to eat
- Care for our loved ones
- The freedom to decide when or how we start or define family
- Privacy and the protection of our most sensitive information
The government is targeting organizations that help people assert their rights and access basic services. They want to operate without oversight or consequences as they dismantle and privatize public services, attack government workers, and concentrate even more profit and power in the hands of the wealthy.
The full text of “The Pact: A Civil Rights Coalition Unity Commitment” is available here.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
ACLU
Advancement Project
AFT
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated
American Association of People with Disabilities
American Atheists
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrialized Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Humanist Association
Americans for Financial Reform
Americans United for Separation of Church & State
Arab American Institute
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Asian Law Caucus
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Voters Matter Fund
Brennan Center for Justice
Center for Reproductive Rights
Center for Responsible Lending
Children’s Defense Fund
Common Cause
Constitutional Accountability Center
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Education Law Center
End Citizens United Action Fund
Fair Elections Center
FairVote
Feminist Majority Foundation
Freedom From Religion Foundation
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights First
Impact Fund
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA)
Justice for Migrant Women
Justice in Aging
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement –
Lambda Legal
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Lawyers for Good Government
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
Legal Aid at Work
Movement Advancement Project
NAACP
National Association of Social Workers
National CAPACD
National Center for Law and Economic Justice
National Center for Learning Disabilities
National Coalition for the Homeless
National Consumer Law Center
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA)
National Council of Jewish Women
National Disability Rights Network
National Employment Law Project
National Health Law Program
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NCNW
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Oxfam America
People For the American Way
Public Citizen
Public Justice
Reproductive Freedom for All
Sikh Coalition
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
The Advocates for Human Rights
The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)
The Workers Circle
T’ruah
UnidosUS
Voices for Progress
Voter Participation Center
Voto Latino
Western States Center
YWCA USA
