Advocate Gives Lessons on Race, Rights and U.S. Policies; New Book Delves Into Civil Rights Commission Past and Present; Mary Frances Berry’s “And Justice For All” Calls For Change On pressing Civil, Human Rights Issues

1. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 14, 2009 Contact: Nicole Hayes (202) 833-9771 x116 (202) 527-4106 cell Nicole@mckpr.com Advocate Gives Lessons on Race, Rights and U.S. Policies New Book Delves Into Civil Rights Commission Past and Present Mary Frances Berry s And Justice For All Calls For Change On pressing Civil, Human Rights IssuesTorture. Immigration. Police misconduct. Marriage inequality. Educationalachievement gap. Racial profiling. Hate crimes.These tough and thorny issues populate a civil and human rights landscape thatdemands federal action, says author and long-time civil rights advocate MaryFrances Berry. Drawing upon a tenure on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rightsthat traversed five administrations, Berry maintains that the Eisenhower-erapanel established as a federal watchdog is sorely out of step with today schallenges.Chair of the bi-partisan panel for two terms, Berry calls for abolishing the existingCommission and beginning anew with a more muscular body that can effectivelyrespond to the clamoring for justice. In her recently released book, And JusticeFor All, The United States Commission on Civil Rights and the ContinuingStruggle for Freedom in America (Knopf, 2009), Berry offers lessons for theObama administration and Congress. There s a whole new set of realities that need to be addressed, our conversationhas to be about race, but also about gender, immigration, sexual orientation,disability, national origin and religious affiliation, says Berry, We need aCommission that will vigorously fight for everyone s right to be treated fairlybecause of their humanity.New Vision for CommissionBerry s vision is of a Human and Civil Rights Commission with greaterindependent power to investigate rights violations and demand corrective action. One of the Commission s historic strengths has been that we ve been an equalopportunity annoyance, declares Berry, of the independent panel. We veangered Democratic and Republican administrations alike for exposing problems

2. they wanted kept hidden and for giving a voice to the most vulnerable among us.A robust Commission needs to be able to enforce subpoenas without thepresident s permission, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.Individuals and private organizations will have the power to file suit if anenforcement agency refuses to act on CRC findings within a specified time underBerry s reimagining of the Commission. Berry also proposes clarifying the lengthof Commissioners terms and requiring Senate confirmation for those appointedby the president. Bitter legal battles erupted in the past when Commissioners(including Berry) and the White House fought over term expirations.The current public outrage over torture demonstrates why we need a Human andCivil Rights Commission to scrutinize compliance with international human rightscovenant s, Berry insists. The existence of an independent and forceful HumanRights Commission to act as a watchdog on U.S. compliance can lessencomplaints about the U. S. holding other nations to human rights standards thatAmerica does not observe.The Last Five YearsBerry calls the present Commission virtually invisible and points to its silence onexplosive issues including the police shooting of Sean Bell, the lack of funding forNo Child Left Behind, the U.S. Attorney firings scandal, and the racially disparatetreatment of Katrina victims.By 2006, Berry argues, the Commission had even lost influence among theirconservative congressional allies who ignored the CRC s advice byoverwhelmingly voting to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act. Many observersnoted that the enormous turnout of African American and Latino voters in 2008that led to the election of the nation s first African American president would nothave been possible without the Voting Rights Act.Race in the Age of ObamaBerry offers a ringing dissent to the notion that the election of President Obamameans we have become a post-racial society, and argues that his election makesa more universal and revitalized Human and Civil Rights Commission morepossible. Obama s success could inspire a renewed determination to end denials ofopportunity in our society, she says. Or it could also result in self-satisfiedstagnation if people choose to tell themselves that the successes of OprahWinfrey and President Obama prove that discrimination no longer exists.

3. A reinvigorated Commission with a bold mandate could also repair some of thedamage to civil rights inflicted by recent Supreme Court decisions.Race and the Roberts Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court term that ends in June may radically transform our raciallandscape. The Court heard three cases that are integral to civil rights: onaffirmative action, mortgage discrimination, and Section 5 of the Voting RightsAct. A reversal of Section 5 could be a potentially devastating blow for the protectionof minority voting rights. If the Court hands down an adverse ruling we will need arevitalized and independent Human and Civil Rights Commission more thanever, Berry opines.As Commission Chair from 1993-2004, Berry trained a spotlight on the 2000Florida Presidential elections with a series of hearings and reports documentingvoting irregularities. Her last act in 2004 was the release of a report on Bushadministration civil rights policies. He got a failing grade.Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought andProfessor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia,Pennsylvani a where she teaches history and law.