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The Passing of Renowned Author and Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison

Read a PDF of our statement here.  Toni Morrison, the first Black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of celebrated novels “Song and Solomon” and Pulitzer Prize winning “Beloved”, as well as many children’s books and essay collections, passed away in New York City at the age of 88. LDF’s President […]

The NYPD Gang Database, Explained

Justice in Public Safety Project The NYPD Gang Database, Explained Are you in the NYPD Gang Database? The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is targeting tens of thousands of Black and Latino New Yorkers and placing them onto a secret list called the Criminal Group Database, commonly known as the Gang Database. Some have […]

The Nomination of William P. Barr to Serve as Attorney General

The Position of Extraordinary Public Trust and Commitment to the Constitutional Principles of Fairness, Equality, and the Rule of Law On December 7, 2018, President Trump announced William P. Barr as his nominee for Attorney General of the United States, following the forced resignation of Jefferson (“Jeff”) Beauregard Sessions III. As head of the U.S. […]

The Next Generation of Civil Rights Leaders

In celebration of Black History Month, we at the New York Urban League brought together four next-generation leaders to talk about the state of the civil rights movement in the 21st century. What unfolded was a provocative conversation that touched on many themes such as class, equity, apathy and honoring our elders. In two hours, […]

The New Yorker Weighs In on Race in the Duane Buck Death Penalty Case

  Racial Discrimination and Capital Punishment:The Indefensible Death Sentence of Duane Buck   Racial discrimination is unavoidable in considering the Texas death-penalty case of Duane Buck. In the campaign to reduce his punishment from execution to life in prison, [LDF] has been prominent and tenacious, because the discrimination in his case is blatant. Buck was […]

The New York Voting Rights Consortium Sends Letter to New York State Officials Expressing Concerns Over the New York State Primary

The New York Voting Rights Consortium– a non-partisan coalition of civil rights organizations, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), and the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College—sent a letter to Governor Cuomo and members of the […]

The New York Voting Rights Act, Explained

The New York Voting Rights Act Explained

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York Enacted June 20, 2022 The New York Voting Rights Act, Explained In a big win for voting rights, the New York State Senate voted to approve the NYVRA on May 31, 2022, the Assembly passed the NYVRA on June 2, 2022, and Governor Hochul signed […]

The New York Times Weighs In on the Duane Buck Death Penalty Case

Race and the Death Penalty in Texas This month, the Supreme Court will consider whether to hear the appeal of Duane Buck, a black man from Texas who was sentenced to die for the 1995 murder of his ex­girlfriend and a man who was with her. There is no dispute about his guilt; the issue […]

The New York Times Raises Justice Department Criminal Civil Rights Case Challenges in the Choking Death of Eric Garner

  Many hope the federal government will succeed in obtaining an indictment of New York police officers where Staten Island prosecutors failed. From the New York Times:   “We have relied over the course of our history on the federal government to step in where the states have been unable or unwilling to ensure justice,” […]