Our Mission Is To Maintain And Strengthen The City's Diversity, Equity, And Accountability.
Greetings!

On a fall day 174 years ago, the newly formed Los Angeles City Council voted to raze the village at the heart of the Tongva/Kizh Nation.
 
Yaanga, which once stood proudly where Downtown Los Angeles is now, was once the largest village in the Tongva/Kizh Nation. It's residents, the Yaangavit, were dispersed across LA under a U.S. policy known as “elimination.” The U.S. military, which began occupying LA in 1846, wanted the complete erasure of indigenous culture and communities.
 
What’s important to remember about this tragedy is that it was not successful. Despite the loss of Yaanga, despite years of destruction, enslavement, and oppression, Indigenous communities and cultures survived. Their stories, past and present, remain as important as ever.
 
Today begins national Native American Heritage Month, when we recognize and celebrate the stories of our Native American and Indigenous communities. This is even more important in Los Angeles County, home to the largest population of Native Americans and Alaska Natives in the United States.
 
I hope you’ll join me in honoring this month. You can start by looking up what Indigenous land you stand on - and recognize and uplift the voices of indigenous peoples.

Keep the faith and keep the fight,


- Capri Maddox
Executive Director,
Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department
Vaccine Outreach for Businesses & Workers
Heal Together, a collaboration of USC, the Los Angeles Departments of Public Health and Health Services, the City of Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department (LA Civil Rights), Kedren Health, nonprofits, churches, social service agencies and community organizations is launching an outreach campaign to businesses and labor organizations to boost vaccination rates among frontline workers.

The Heal Together Coalition will provide opportunities for businesses and labor organizations to host their own vaccine drive at any location in LA County through the LA County Department of Public Health’s Mobile Vaccine Clinic. Interested organizations can sign up to host an on-site COVID-19 vaccine drive by clicking here and find the employer toolkit by clicking here.

Learn more about our COVID-19 Equity work by clicking here.
LISTEN: In Conversation with the LA Mission
We had the privilege of sitting down with the CEO of the LA Mission, Pastor Troy Vaughn, at their location on Skid Row. The LA Mission is one of the largest and oldest service providers for unhoused people in Los Angeles, and they invited our Executive Director Capri Maddox to sit down for a frank and personal conversation about systemic racism, breaking cycles of poverty, and how civil rights and anti-discrimination work is central to keeping people from falling into homelessness.

Thank you so much to the LA Mission for inviting us to be on your podcast. Listen here.
RECAP: Worker's Rights Webinar
On October 28, we hosted "Derechos de Empleo y Justicia Para Trabajdores," a workers rights webinar for Spanish-speaking workers with Public Counsel, California Department of Fair Housing & Employment, the LA City Office of Wage Standards, and Councilmember Kevin de León.

The panel discussed wage theft, discrimination in the work place, and the rights and resources for workers regardless of immigration status.

Click here to watch the webinar and to learn more about your rights, visit https://civilandhumanrights.lacity.org/civil-rights-resources .
Remembering Tom LaBonge
On October 18, LA Civil Rights joined the city family and the LaBonge family in honoring the late City Councilmember Tom LaBonge. The event was a true Tom party - outside in Travel Town, Griffith Park and complete with radio personalities, classic cars, Pinks hotdogs and an Elvis impersonator.

We were honored to join this event in Tom's memory and carry his legacy forward with the Tom LaBonge Day of Service held on October 9th. To learn more about that event, and Councilmember LaBonge, click here.
200 N. Spring St. Room 1525
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 978-1845