Joint Center Organizes Letter With Over 70 Civil Rights Groups Urging New Members of Congress to Hire Diverse Staff

The Joint Center organized two letters signed by over 70 civil rights groups addressed to new Members of Congress urging them to hire racially diverse people in their personal office top and key mid-level staff positions. In the letters, one addressed to incoming House Members and the other addressed to incoming Senators, we recommended to: 1). Adopt a diversity plan; 3). Use the Bipartisan House Diversity and Inclusion Office as a resource or support the establishment of the Bipartisan Senate Diversity and Inclusion Office; 4) use the Brain Trust for a Representative Democracy; and 5). Work with the Tri-Caucus Staff Associations which maintain databases of strong diverse talent.

Signees include African American Mayors Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Counseling Association, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Society of Association Executives, American Society of Landscape Architects, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), Association Headquarters, Augustus F. Hawkins Foundation, Bipartisan Policy Center, Black Futures Lab, Black Girl Magic (BGM) Network, Black Women’s Health Imperative, Chinese American Citizens Alliance/DC, College to Congress, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Congressional Management Foundation, Democracy Fund Voice, Demand Progress, Federally Employed Women, Forge Policy Solutions, Guiding Researchers & Advocates to Scientific Partnerships (GRASP), Hmong National Development, Inclusive America, Issue One, Lawyers’ Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), MANA, A National Latina Organization, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), NALEO Educational Fund, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Asian Pacific American Families Against Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA), National Action Network (NAN), National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE), National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), National Bar Association (NBA), National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), National Black Worker Center Project, National, Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans Community Development (CAPACD), National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), National Court Reporters Association NCRA), National Disability Rights Network (NDRN), National Network for Youth, National Urban League (NUL), National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, National Organization of Black County Officials, Inc. (NOBCO), Oakland Unified School District (OUSD), Our Perspective: Asian American Plays, Pay Our Interns, Pride at Work, Project Management Institute, Public Knowledge, South Asian Bar Association of North America, South Asian Fund For Education, Scholarship and Training (SAFEST), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative, TESOL International Association, The Almond Group, The Feighan Team, The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, The Links, Incorporated, The Raben Group, The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society, UnidosUS, Washington Government Relations Group (WGRG), Women in Government Relations (WRG), Women’s Congressional Policy Institute, Women’s Congressional Staff Foundation, Women’s Global Impact Initiative, and Working IDEAL.