American Civil Liberties Union

The economic crisis of 2008, which was devastating for the nation’s economy as a whole, was nothing short of disastrous for communities of color. Much of the decades of progress toward full inclusion in the American dream which was ushered in by the landmark civil rights laws of the 1960’s disappeared virtually overnight, stripping communities of color of their homes and their financial futures. These enormous setbacks were not the result of a natural disaster but were instead the easily foreseeable consequences of forces set in motion by banks eager to realize enormous profits without regard to the impact upon vulnerable communities.

It is difficult to convey how painful it is to live in a world in which nothing you do is as important as the color of your skin.

For far too many African-Americans, the nation's aspirations remain a dream deferred.

The announcement that the U.S. Justice Department has charged members of the East Haven, Connecticut Police Department with violating the civil rights of Latinos is both good news and deeply disturbing. The investigation of improper targeting by local law enforcement of Latinos in Connecticut, along with DOJ’s recent scathing report of the constitutional violations perpetrated against Latinos by Maricopa County, Arizona’s Sheriff Joe Arpaio, are welcome signs that the federal government is taking action to protect people of color from having their most basic rights compromised by racial profiling. Less welcome is the repeated appearance of this particular kind of discrimination in so many parts of the country. Incidents like these raise questions of whether we are dealing with isolated, events or facing examples of rapidly spreading problems that threaten to engulf our entire nation.