Dear LA Civil Rights Family,

As we approach Black History Month this week, I reflect on the history and undeniable impact African Americans have made on the City of Los Angeles.

Did you know that LA Civil Rights was created as a result of the Los Angeles Black Worker Center's (LABWC) fight to stop wage theft? As a result of solidarity within a coalition of multicultural organizations led by LABWC, the 2019 Civil and Human Rights Law was passed, which prohibits private-sector discrimination in commerce, education, employment and housing in Los Angeles. This week, LA Civil Rights filed a case against a major grocery chain for selectively applying a race-based security policy requesting certain customers check their bags upon entry. 

Since the creation of our department, we’ve extended the mission sparked by the LABWC to intentionally build programs in our Office of Race & Equity and Civil Rights Enforcement unit, and through our LA For All anti-hate campaign. As incidents of hate increase, often taking lessons from slavery and Jim Crow-era tactics, LA Civil Rights continues to stand up against ableism, anti-Blackness, antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, and anti-AAPI, anti-immigrant and anti-Latino hatred, and all identity-based hostilities.

Together, we can promote equity and inclusion to realize the dream of a better Los Angeles for all.

Keep the faith and keep the fight,

- Capri Maddox

Executive Director

LA Civil Rights Department

3 More Days to Submit Your L.A. REPAIR

Grant Proposal!

There are just 3 more days left until our L.A. REPAIR Participatory Budgeting Program grant opportunity closes. Organizations serving community members in the Arleta-Pacoima and Skid Row REPAIR Zones should submit proposals for services or programs totaling between $250,000 and $500,000, that will make a difference in quality of life areas, such as health and wellbeing, housing and transportation, and more.

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

To review the L.A. REPAIR Grant Guidelines, click the link below. Learn more about our $8.5 million Participatory Budgeting Program at repair.lacity.gov or email questions to repair@lacity.org.

LA Civil Rights Stands

United Against Hate

Last Friday, LA Civil Rights joined the United States Department of Justice, California Civil Rights Department, Labor Movement leader Dolores Huerta, and UCLA on its campus for "United Against Hate," an event designed to increase the community's understanding of hate crimes and incidents, and increase knowledge-sharing among agencies.

LA Civil Rights’ Executive Director, Capri Maddox, and Assistant General Manager for Civil Rights Enforcement, Kim Kasreliovich, shared resources, and discussed how our department combats hate, enforces the City's Civil and Human Rights Law, and fights private-sector discrimination as hate and extremism increase across Los Angeles.

Read more about Civil Rights Enforcement here or click the link below. We are grateful to lock arms with other agencies to ensure a safer and more inclusive Los Angeles.

Join us for LA Medical Day!

Want to become a doctor, but do not know where to begin?



On Saturday, February 10, 2024 from 10 AM to 1 PM, LA Civil Rights is hosting a webinar to demystify the medical school admissions process, and share more about various career paths in healthcare. Local doctors and health professionals, such as Charles Drew University’s Dr. David Carlisle, CDU-Kedren Mobile Street Medicine's Dr. Jerry Abraham, and Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Dr. Alison Taur, will share their medical school experiences and provide advice to help future medical students survive years of schooling and residency. Join us virtually on Zoom, and participate in breakout sessions to learn more about the following topics:



• Admissions Process & Financial Aid for Medical School
• Careers in Medicine
• Journeys to Medical School & How I Survived

We look forward to seeing you at LA Medical Day!

Register for LA Medical Day here or click the link below.

Honoring Dr. King

LA Civil Rights celebrated the life, birthday and legacy of renown Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at events across Los Angeles. To observe the federal holiday, LA Civil Rights Executive Director, Capri Maddox, joined Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto at Freedom Fest 2024 in Leimert Park. 

LA Civil Rights also attended YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles’ 53rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Brotherhood Breakfast in honor of the late reverend. It was an honor to share space with this year's Humanity Dignity Award recipient, Olympic Gold Medalist pay equity and maternal health advocate, Allyson Felix.

In partnership with local community organizations and Martin Luther King III, we also kicked off the goal to reach 100 million service hours by Dr. King’s 100th birthday in 2029. To celebrate the collective commitment to complete monthly service projects, LA Civil Rights joined nonprofit partners at the Together In Service LA Kickoff at YMCA’s Crenshaw location.  

To see photos from the Together In Service Kickoff event, click here.