On April 11 and 12, 2016, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee) partnered with Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. for the fraternity’s annual James “Biff” Carter Legislative Congress on Capitol Hill, also known as “Kappas on Capitol Hill.” The week kicked off with a wide range of seminars and panel discussions that promoted civic engagement, black health and encouraged fraternity members to become advocates for the African-American community.
Lawyers’ Committee’s President and Executive Director Kristen Clarke co-led the civil rights panel discussion where she was joined by Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and member of Kappa Alpha Psi. Clarke discussed the need for the fraternity’s engagement in the political process, while Henderson discussed the Supreme Court’s need for nine Justices.
On April 12, Dorian Spence, counsel in the Lawyers’ Committee’s Voting Rights Project and member of Kappa Alpha Psi, along with James Gilmore, Lawyers’ Committee Public Policy Analyst, participated in the fraternity’s advocacy day on Capitol Hill. Members of Kappa Alpha Psi were encouraged to visit their elected representatives in both the House and the Senate. Some of the topics discussed were judicial diversity, the need for criminal justice reform, restoration of the Voting Rights Act and the need to fill the current Supreme Court vacancy. Several notable Kappas in Congress also attended the fraternity’s advocacy day. Among them were U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings of Florida, and U.S. Representative Sanford Bishop of Georgia.
Later that afternoon, Clarke, along with members of the fraternity’s executive board met with Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice Vanita Gupta. During the meeting members of the fraternity raised concerns about criminal justice reform, mass incarceration and school resource officers. The group also discussed how to keep the concerns of the African-American community in the national spotlight.
This year’s Kappas on the Hill was particularly impactful because of the fraternity’s renewed commitment to engaging all of its members in the fight for civil rights at national and local levels. The Lawyers’ Committee aims to serve as both a partner and a resource for the fraternity’s future advocacy and efforts to move our nation toward justice.
