Happy Holidays LA!

December brings many holidays, during which we take time to celebrate our family and friends and also acknowledge Universal Human Rights Month. In fact, December 10th is Human Rights Day, a moment to empower individuals and communities to forge a better Los Angeles. 

You can create the change you want to see today by JOINING our Volunteer Corps (learn more below) or OFFERING a charitable contribution to your favorite non-profit organization in honor of Giving Tuesday, which is tomorrow! 

As we come together to serve and celebrate this holiday season, let us lead with empathy, love, and compassion to foster a spirit of unity and inclusion to build a truly #LAForAll.

Keep the faith and keep the fight,



Capri Maddox, Esq.

Executive Director

LA Civil Rights Department

Photo Description: Flyer promoting the upcoming LA Law Day

If you (or someone you know) have been dreaming of a career in law but don't know where to start, this event is for you! Join LA Civil Rights this Saturday, December 7th, for our virtual 2024 LA Law Day.

The event will include a panel discussion with legal trailblazers followed by a Q&A with judges, attorneys, law students, and other legal professionals, who are eager to help you navigate the law school application process. We aim to empower diverse students by providing impactful resources and leading informative discussions. The goal of LA Law Day is to demystify the law school admissions process for students and families; increase awareness about career paths in the legal field; and diversify law school applicant pools.

If you want support for your journey into the legal profession, we hope to see you there. Remember to register!

If you know someone interested in learning more about law school or pursuing a career as an attorney, please share our LACR Pre-Law Resource Guide.

Video Description: Video explaining LA Law Day produced by CityView Channel 35

Transgender Day of Remembrance Recap

Image Description: Pink and Blue rose with city skyline in the background

On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, LA Civil Rights' Transgender Advisory Council, in collaboration with CD11 Office of Councilwoman Traci Park, uplifted the Transgender Day Of Remembrance (TDOR) by holding a community convening in the Tom Bradley Tower of City Hall. There was a huge representation of solidarity between the LGBTQIA2+ community and the City. The event was a safe space for transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex (TGI) individuals and allies to come together, hold space, reflect, honor, and remember individuals who have tragically lost their lives to violence and hate.

This season can bring joy to many, but so often the joy of the holidays can be accompanied by the grief of losing a loved one. Unfortunately, this holiday season, there will be 36 less trans and gender-expansive individuals to celebrate with us due to fatal violence. Of those 36 lives lost, at least 28 were transgender women who have been killed since TDOR 2023— these are not just numbers—they represent beloved family members, friends, and vital voices in our communities. We acknowledged these beautiful lives by reading their names during the TDOR Tribute Presentation.

TDOR serves not only as a day of remembrance but also as a powerful call to action to end the violence against the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities. TDOR is a time for reflection and solidarity in the fight for safety, dignity, and equality for all!

Watch our TDOR Recap to the sounds of the Trans Chorus of L.A.

Human Security Resolution Presentation

Image Description: Group photo after the Human Resolution Presentation in City Council

While December is Universal Human Rights Month, we closed out November by formally acknowledging the adoption of the Human Security Resolution, which was informed by community partners. Special thanks to Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky, Council District 5's Director of Community Engagement Allen Zipper, Executive Director of NewGround Aziza Hassan (formerly of our Commission on Civil Rights), and Executive Director of INKERJ Umar Hakim-Dey for supporting this resolution.

In upholding the Human Security Resolution, we reaffirmed our commitments to human dignity, the freedoms of worship and expression, and the freedom from want and fear as pillars of human rights.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, this photo demonstrates the beautiful mosaic of Los Angeles with numerous community and faith-based leaders co-existing and working toward a common goal. An unprecedented amount of Abrahamic and Non-Abrahamic religious leaders were present, including representatives from the Vedanta Society, Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, and Catholic faith traditions. Few people in the world could bring together such an esteemed group of diverse leaders. However, Joumana Silyan-Saba, our LA Civil Rights Director of Civic Engagement & Human Rights, led this effort and rallied this group of leaders to demonstrate how we should show up for each other during these times.

Human security is a multi-sectoral framework that focuses on safety and dignity for all as a human right. It is a community and human-centered approach to challenging inequalities and vulnerabilities. This framework is an opportunity to foster resilience, deepen commitment to human rights, and rejuvenate peace-building efforts to truly create an #LAForAll.

Image Description: LA Civil Rights Indigenous History Month logo sitting aginst colorful tapestry

This month, the California Natural Resources Agency announced it will remove a derogatory word referring to Indigenous women from more than 30 statewide geographic features. The announcement comes after Governor Newsom's 2022 approval of legislation requiring the removal of the racist and sexist term. This state policy aligns with LA Civil Rights' local efforts in November to support City leaders' exploration of a land acknowledgment policy affirming the history and heritage of Indigenous Angelenos. Our complete report, the Cultural and Historic Regional Components Necessary for the Los Angeles City Council's Consideration of a Land Acknowledgment Policy," will be available at LAisForEveryone.com.