RWG Membership Meeting Caucuses

CAUCUS I

Working for Change with The Human Rights at Home Campaign

The Human Rights at Home Campaign consists of more than 50 civil and human rights organizations (including the Rights Working Group) working to hold our government accountable for its domestic human rights record. The Campaign believes in the universality of human rights and the importance of those rights as a matter of domestic law. Specifically, the Human Rights at Home Campaign is urging the Obama Administration to revitalize the Inter-Agency Working Group on Human Rights, to support the creation of a national human rights institution in the form of an expanded U.S. Civil and Human Rights Commission, to fully implement human rights treaties that the United States has ratified, including adopting an action plan for implementation of the Convention on Racial Discrimination, and to ensure effective coordination between federal institutions and existing state and local agencies charged with monitoring and enforcing civil and human rights laws. The Human Rights at Home Campaign is extremely excited to share with participants concrete ways to advocate for increased monitoring and strengthened enforcement of human rights obligations here at home!

Lisa Crooms, Human Rights at Home Steering Committee

Exploring Latino/Muslim/Arab/South Asian Alliances

This caucus seeks to bring advocates representing Latino and Muslim, Arab & South Asian groups together to learn about each other's work and open up a discussion to identify areas for collaboration.  Although many groups are working on racial profiling issues, much of the work being done has been in issue-related silos, whether related to interior enforcement, border issues, or surveillance.  This caucus will give advocates representing different community groups the opportunity to share their work and strategies and to open a dialogue into the ways we can work together to build coalitions to more effectively press for change.

Nura Maznavi, Muslim Advocates

Local Organizing Strategies to Stop Racial Profiling

This caucus seeks to bring advocates together to explore different strategies to stop racial profiling in local communities.  Across the country, advocates have employed different organizing models and formed unique partnerships with different groups that have limited or halted the practice of racial profiling.  Join this caucus to learn what communities are doing in their areas to stop profiling; get ideas for your local campaigns or to start a local campaign; and to share your own insights and experiences.

Shahid Buttar, Bill of Rights Defense Committee; Monami Maulik, Desis Rising Up and Moving; and Art Way, Colorado Progressive Coalition

CAUCUS II

Challenges and Opportunities of Working with Local Law Enforcement

What role should the local law enforcement play in ensuring the safety of a community?  There's a history within communities of colors of their local police officers stopping, questioning, and arresting them for no reasons other than their skin color.  Meanwhile, in recent years, local law enforcement agencies have increasingly formed partnerships with Federal Government to enforce immigration laws, leading to mistrust.  Join this session to discuss the challenges of working with local law enforcement and how to overcome these challenges in order to strengthen community voices in building stronger and safer communities.

Cynthia Buiza, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Coalition of Los Angeles and Ronald Hampton, National Black Police Association

100 Miles of Border Issues

This caucus seeks to bring advocates working in border communities across the northern and southern borders and within a 100-mile radius of the physical border (both land and sea) to share each other's work in combating law enforcement agents from stopping and detaining community members without suspicion.  Join this caucus to learn from each other, seek new strategies, and to build new and stronger partnerships to ensure the work on enforcement is a truly more holistic and comprehensive one.

Louie Gilot, Border Network for Human Rights; Christian Ramirez, American Friends Service Committee; and Brianna Twofoot, Maine Civil Liberties Union

MORE COMING!

AGENDA l SPEAKERS l WORKSHOPS