Dear LA Civil Rights Family,

April has so much significance! This month, we honor Earth Day, Arab American Heritage Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and National Second Chance Month. April also marks Armenian Heritage Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the vibrant culture, enduring resilience, and profound legacy of our Armenian community.

While Armenian Heritage Month is a time of celebration, it's important to acknowledge April 24th as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. This day commemorates the loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives and the enduring trauma experienced by generations of families, many of whom were forcibly displaced from their homes. The endurance of suffering is a recurring theme in history. For example, tonight, we observe the first night of Passover, an annual commemoration of the Exodus story—a narrative of liberation from slavery.

Reflecting on these diverse celebrations, heritage months, and shared experiences -bound by a thread of resilience - we notice these times as collectively enriching the vibrant tapestry of Los Angeles, while also fostering empathy for suffering across the globe.

We may not control the entire world, but we fight tirelessly to ensure hate has no place in LA. We take hate prevention seriously and urge you to report discrimination to us at LAisforEveryone.com or click here to learn about our LA For All anti-hate campaign.

Keep the faith and keep the fight,



- Capri Maddox

Executive Director

LA Civil Rights Department

#AllWomenEqually HERstory Event

Executive Director Capri Maddox had the honor of sharing her inspiring journey with 100 diverse women leaders at the #AllWomenEqually luncheon held at LA City Hall. Special thanks to event organizer, Cheryl Quintana, who assembled a dynamic gathering of women leaders from across Los Angeles!

Attendees were captivated by Capri's personal narrative, which underscores the value of hard work and resilience. She shared anecdotes of navigating uncomfortable spaces and emphasized the importance of progress over perfection.

In her role as a departmental leader, Capri fosters a culture of support and empowerment among all staff, including her all-women executive management team. She encouraged the audience to "lift while you climb," and to advocate for supportive environments where the multifaceted roles of women—as mothers, daughters, and wives—are acknowledged while everyone strives for professional excellence. Click here to watch some of the speech.

Happy Earth Day!

Every year, we celebrate Earth Day on April 22!

As we confront the challenges of climate change—such as escalating heatwaves, extreme weather events, and declining air quality—the concept of climate resilience is increasingly critical. Last week, Mayor Bass proclaimed the climate crisis as one of the greatest challenges of our time and expressed her dedication to climate justice in her State of the City address.

LA Civil showed our dedication to bolstering climate resilience when we allocated $2 million to community-based organizations to implement programming to address social, economic, and environmental harms stemming from institutional and structural racism at nine Peace & Healing Centers across LA. Explore the program's details here.

Currently, LA Civil Rights, along with our partners: Cal State LA, Open AQ, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, and the Bureau of Street Lighting, are implementing a $250,000 grant from NASA's Predictive Environmental Analytics and Community Engagement for Equity and Environmental Justice (PEACE for EEJ) to increase the accessibility of environmental and socioeconomic data. When the work is completed, we will be able to better understand air quality and will be able to more easily integrate that data into our decision making process. Learn more at https://airquality.lacity.gov/.

LA Civil Rights Hits Radio Airwaves

LA Civil Rights' Executive Director, Capri Maddox Visits KBLA 1580 AM

In case you missed it, Executive Director Capri Maddox engaged in a dynamic conversation on First Things First With Dominique DiPrima. The one-hour interview covered a breadth of topic, including insight into our Office of Race and Equity, Civil Rights Enforcement, and the role of our five commissions. The discussion highlighted recent significant hate incidents and the widely publicized issuance of the department's first Notice of Violation against Smart & Final and its contracted security vendor for implementing a discriminatory bag policy.

Dominique DiPrima, a prominent figure in LA media for nearly three decades, recently made history as the first African-American woman to host a commercial drive-time talk radio show in Los Angeles. Listen to the entire interview here.

2024 LANI Annual Community Forum

Last week, Executive Director Capri Maddox delivered a keynote speech to inaugurate the 22nd Community Forum of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI). The event convened neighborhood leaders, activists, experts from City and County departments, community-based organizations, non-profits, and the private sector. LA Civil Rights staff were also present to offer information and resources to participants in the forum's workshops.

The goals of the LANI Community Forum are to foster dialogue and information sharing, provide access to decision-makers, and recharge and inspire ongoing collaborative work.

LANI revitalizes neighborhoods by engaging people and building vibrant public spaces.  Learn more about how to get involved at https://www.lani.org/

Capri Maddox Receives 2024 Beacon of Justice Award

Congratulations to LA Civil Rights Executive Director, Capri Maddox, for receiving the esteemed Beacon of Justice Award from the Friends of the LA County Law Library (FLACLL). Capri was honored along with Professor Laurie Levenson, a distinguished legal expert, as a co-recipient. Each year, FLACLL honors individuals whose exceptional character and service to the legal community, particularly in areas such as access to justice, education, scholarship, writing, journalism, public service, and advocacy, serve as an inspiration to others and garner the respect and admiration of the legal community. For legal resources, visit the LA Law Library.