Reclaiming Our Civil Rights & Liberties

We believe in the essential American ideal that we are not constrained by the circumstances of birth but can make of our lives what we will.

Unfortunately, for too many, that ideal is not a reality. We have more work to do. Democrats will fight to end discrimination based on race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, and disability in every corner of our country, because that's the America we believe in.

We all have to do our part to lift up this country, and that means changing hearts and changing minds, and making sure that every American is treated equally under the law. We will restore professionalism over partisanship at the Department of Justice, and staff the civil rights division with civil rights lawyers, not ideologues. We will restore vigorous federal enforcement of civil rights laws in order to provide every American an equal chance at employment, housing, health, contracts, and pay. We are committed to banning racial, ethnic, and religious profiling and requiring federal, state, and local enforcement agencies to take steps to eliminate the practice.

We are committed to ensuring full equality for women: we reaffirm our support for the Equal Rights Amendment, recommit to enforcing Title IX, and will urge passage of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. We will pursue a unified foreign and domestic policy that promotes civil rights and human rights, for women and minorities, at home and abroad. We will pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We will restore and support the White House Initiative on Asian-American and Pacific Islanders, including enforcement on disaggregation of Census data. We will make the Census more culturally sensitive, including outreach, language assistance, and increased confidentiality protections to ensure accurate counting of the growing Latino and Asian American, and Pacific Islander populations, and continue working on efforts to be more inclusive. We will sign the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and restore the original intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Latest »

President Obama’s National Security Speech at the National Archive

May 21, 2009 - President Obama gave a major national security speech at the National Archives this morning where he provided the broad context in which his Administration makes national security decisions.
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Sí Se Puede: Remembering Cesar Chavez

April 1, 2009 - President Obama commemorated Cesar Chavez on what would have been his 82nd birthday yesterday.
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President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

January 29, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed his first piece of legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, that will make it easier for anyone to get equal pay for equal work regardless of age, race, or gender. Read the President's remarks.
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Senate Confirmation Hearings: Eric Holder

January 15, 2009 - Eric Holder is currently testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee as President-elect Barack Obama's Attorney General-designate.
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Another Former Republican Senator for Obama

October 28, 2008 - In an op-ed printed in the Washington Post this morning, former Maryland Senator Charles Mathias (R) endorsed Senator Barack Obama. Mathias served in the House of Representatives from 1961 until 1969 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate and served until 1987.
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McCain Claims He Hasn't Flipped on Anything from 2000

October 23, 2008 - John McCain told the local CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C. that ''I'm the same guy'' from 2000, claiming that he hasn't flipped on any issue since his last run for the presidency.
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro

August 27, 2008 - Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro recalls that when a woman's right to challenge discrimination in the work place, John McCain didn't bother to show up, but Barack Obama did, and was on the right side.
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Lily Ledbetter

August 26, 2008 - Lily Ledbetter speaks on Women's Equality Day.
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Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg

August 25, 2008 - Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, daughter of President John F. Kennedy, delivers remarks on the career of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and introduces him to the convention.
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Randi Weingarten

August 25, 2008 - Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers, speaks of education as a basic civil right.
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