Thursday, September 16, 2021 | news
Today, the family of Terence Crutcher, joined by national civil and human rights legal organizations, local elected officials, and community activists and leaders, formally requested for the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to reopen and evaluate its investigation into former Tulsa police officer Betty Jo Shelby’s shooting and killing […]
Thursday, December 16, 2021 | page
The War on Truth Anti-CRT Mania and Book Bans are the Latest Tactics to Halt Racial Justice By Ishena Robinson Deputy Editorial Director This is the first installment of an LDF series examining the recent rise of anti-truth laws. The second installment, which takes a broader historical view, can be read here. The third installment examining […]
Friday, March 21, 2025 | page
Louisiana’s quiet force for change in the fight for fair election maps Dr. Alice Washington on Her Unwavering Commitment to Fair Representation for Black Louisianians By Erin Donaghue When Dr. Alice Washington cast her ballot in Louisiana’s District 6 Congressional election in November 2024, she felt excitement and hope in the air. For the first […]
Friday, May 19, 2017 | news
Two nights ago, a jury in Tulsa, Oklahoma, found Police Officer Betty Jo Shelby not guilty of first-degree manslaughter for the September 2016 roadside killing of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed Black man. The verdict reinforced, once again, that police officers are almost never convicted for killing unarmed African Americans. While every one of these cases is unique, […]
Friday, February 10, 2017 | news
Read the PDF of our statement here. President Trump’s Executive Orders on Crime Reduction Ignores the Need for Policing Reforms Today, President Trump signed three executive orders detailing ways in which the White House will address crime, including violence against police. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) offered the following statement: “Today’s orders […]
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 | news
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by Black Americans and a time to pay tribute to the extraordinary and critical role African Americans have played in shaping U.S. history. Over the next four weeks, we will be reflecting on LDF’s contribution to Black history by featuring several of our landmark civil rights […]
Thursday, September 22, 2016 | news
Tackle racial bias in policing at the root While policing is largely a state and local function, the federal government has the power and obligation to impose this nationwide solution. Annually, it confers at least $2 billion in federal grants to police departments around the country. Tulsa has received $14 million since 2010; Charlotte has gotten $4 million. Larger jurisdictions receive considerably […]
Thursday, September 22, 2016 | news
Today, LDF Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill joined civil rights activist DeRay McKesson at Google’s Zeitgeist event for an intimate and open discussion about current race relations in the US, systemic racism, and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. The two also touched upon recent police-involved shootings in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina. The […]
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 | news
The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”) calls for immediate redress for the death of Freddie Gray and the long record of excessive use of force by the Baltimore Police Department in order to de-escalate tensions in Baltimore during this difficult period. The announcement of a state of emergency and the deployment of the […]
Friday, July 29, 2022 | news
As organizations that have spent years fighting for civil rights, racial justice and the genuine safety that all of our communities deserve, we stand together to oppose a vote in the House of Representatives on a combined rule that would join together two issues that should not be dependent on one another—preventative measures, including a […]