Dear LA Civil Rights Family,

At the LA Civil Rights Department, we honor the legacy, life, and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by striving to make his dream a reality. Through our Office of Race & Equity, we strengthen community partnerships and manage equity-based programming to reduce poverty in Los Angeles' most marginalized communities; our Civil Rights Enforcement Unit addresses discriminatory acts and provides justice for victims; and our commissions and community engagement efforts, including the award-winning anti-hate campaign, LA For All, highlight the importance of culture and diversity, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, or religion. By working together, we still have the opportunity to overcome hate and create communities where everyone thrives and achieves their full potential.

Today, join us in celebrating not only Dr. King's birthday, but also his principles of nonviolence and inclusion for all!

Keep the faith and keep the fight,

- Capri Maddox

Executive Director

LA Civil Rights Department

Submit a Grant Proposal for

Arleta-Pacoima or Skid Row

To ensure we receive a broad selection of proposals, we've reopened our Proposal Development Phase for the Arleta-Pacoima and Skid Row REPAIR Zones. Again, LA Civil Rights is offering non-profit community-based organizations the opportunity to help make meaningful transformations with grants between $250,000 and $500,000. The Grant Guidelines are available online. Learn more about our $8.5 million Participatory Budgeting Program at https://repair.lacity.gov/ or email questions to repair@lacity.org by January 26, 2024.

Applications are now due by Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 12:00 PM PST.

Learn More About Credit

The LA Civil Rights Department, in partnership with the Youth Development Department and Credit Assistance Resistance Education (CARE), is hosting a virtual event on Saturday, January 27th from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM to teach participants about building credit, improving credit scores, and more.

We are committed to providing Upward Mobility Programming to help residents acquire middle class status and beyond. In the past, we've held successful events to further this goal, including LA Law Day and Homeownership Seminars, which also provided guests with knowledge to improve their careers and personal lives.

RSVP for Truth in Credit today!

Standing Up to Hate & Promoting Equity

Last week, at the State of the Port, Executive Director Capri Maddox joined Mayor Bass, Councilmember Tim McOsker, and many others to hear Port of Los Angeles Executive Director, Gene Seroka discuss his top initiatives for 2024.

LA Civil Rights also stood with City of Los Angles leaders to denounce a hate crime in San Pedro (racial slur and swastikas spray-painted on vehicle). At the Los Angeles Police Department, Maddox is pictured with Captain Shannon White and Captain Brent McGuyre in the Harbor Patrol Division. From 2022 to 2023, hate crimes rose 15% but antisemitic hate crimes rose 51%, and anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hate crimes increased by 140%. In response to the increasing hate crime and incidents, we collaborated with LAPD and community members to add a ‘hate incident’ category to the LAPD's Community Online Reporting System (CORS). This online reporting system makes reporting a hate incident more accessible for Angelenos.