U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

CIVIL RIGHTS DIRECTORY

PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS - (O-T)

Operation PUSH
Opportunities Industrialization Centers of America, Inc.
Organization of Chinese Americans
Parliamentary Human Rights Foundation
People for the American Way
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Schomburg Center for Research In Black Culture
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc.
Southern Regional Council
Tomas Rivera Center
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice

OPERATION PUSH (PEOPLE UNITED TO SERVE HUMANITY)
930 E. 50th Street
Chicago, IL 60615

The Reverend Willie T. Barrow, Chairman and CEO
Tel: (312) 373-3366
Fax: (312) 373-3571
TDD: None

Operation PUSH is dedicated to achieving economic and political parity for blacks, other minorities, females, and poor people of all races. With 50 local chapters and 38 affiliates across the country, PUSH promotes full employment, enactment of an "economic bill of rights" to assure the basic needs of black young people and the elderly, greater minority participation in the political system, and prison reform. The group also advocates improved health care, adequate housing, and educational facilities for all people; greater attention to the needs of veterans; and the enhancement of African/African American unity.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: None


OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTERS OF AMERICA, INC.
1415 N. Broad Street, Room 111
Philadelphia, PA 19122

Dr. Leon H. Sullivan, Chairman
Tel: (215) 236-4500
Fax: (215) 236-7480
TDD: None

The Center, founded in 1964, is a network of employment and training programs bound together by a common commitment to serve the poor and unemployed. The organization serves disadvantaged and under-skilled Americans of all races. A philosophy of self-help and the Center's system of developing the "whole person" are intended to enable individuals to become self-sufficient, productive workers.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: None


ORGANIZATION OF CHINESE AMERICANS (OCA)
1001 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 707
Washington, DC 20036

Daphne Kwok, Executive Director
Tel: (202) 223-5500
Fax: (202) 296-0540
TDD: None

OCA is a national civil rights organization with 39 chapters across the United States, one chapter in Hong Kong, and 12 college organizational affiliates. Issues on which OCA works include: immigration, affirmative action, language rights, political participation, business opportunities, discrimination, hate crimes, and public safety issues (AIDS, drinking and driving).

Geographic areas(s) served: United States and international
Type(s) of publications: Quarterly magazine and national directory


PARLIAMENTARY HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION (PHRF)
1056 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007-3813

Don Bonker, Chairman and President
Tel: (202) 333-1407
Fax: (202) 333-1275
TDD: None

PHRF works directly with parliamentarians to: enhance understanding of the meaning and importance of human rights, strengthen institutions for the protection of human rights, and improve access to information about human rights conditions. Its also works to: foster international cooperation in the promotion of human rights; offer training and technical assistance to human rights advocates, especially parliamentarians; call attention to human rights abuses that violate internationally recognized standards; and nurture constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and other protections of human rights. The Foundation is committed to the promotion of human rights, and is a worldwide, voluntary, nonpartisan, and nonprofit organization.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States and international
Type(s) of publications: None


PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY (PFAW)
2000 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Carole Shields, President
Tel: (202) 467-4999
Fax: (202) 293-2672
TDD: None

PFAW advocates in the courts, legislatures, and public policy arena on civil rights issues, including voting rights, education issues, and discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and disability. It issues periodic reports on such subjects and sponsors programs in public schools to promote tolerance and respect and to encourage voting and participation by students.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Newsletter


PUERTO RICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND (PRLDEF)
99 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013

Juan A. Figueroa, President and General Counsel
Tel: (212) 219-3360
Fax: (212) 431-4276
TDD: None

For more than 23 years, PRLDEF has fought discrimination and worked toward equal access to education, employment, health care, housing rights, and public services. PRLDEF engages in litigation, advocacy, policy development, and educational programs.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Newsletter and journal


RELIGIOUS ACTION CENTER OF REFORM JUDAISM/UAHC
2027 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director and Counsel
Tel: (202) 387-2800
Fax: (202) 667-9070
TDD: None

The purpose of the Center is to mobilize the Jewish community and to serve as its advocate in the Nation's capital and its voice for social justice and religious liberty throughout the country.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Newsletters, mailings, and Website


SCHOMBURG CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, NY 10037-1801

Howard Dodson, Chief
Tel: (212) 491-2200
Fax: (212) 491-6760
TDD: None

One of the largest sources of black research, the Center was founded within the New York City Public Library System in 1926 and based on the extensive private collection of books on black cultures by the late Arthur A. Schomburg, a black man born in Puerto Rico. The ultra-modern facility in Harlem has more than 80,000 visitors annually. The collection of more than 100,000 books about African Americans and people of African descent, plus numerous photographs, manuscripts, recordings, and films, is available to scholars and researchers. The Center has a full-time staff of more than 60 people.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States and international
Type(s) of publications: Quarterly newsletter


SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (SCLC)
334 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30312

Martin Luther King, III, President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: (404) 522-1420
Fax: (404) 659-7390
TDD: None

Founded in 1957 to bring moral initiative, spiritual support, and mass popular involvement to the struggle against racial oppression, SCLC promotes the efficacy of love in human relationships and seeks to facilitate a community where color will be irrelevant to a person's worth. SCLC opposes war and promotes voter registration and political education, citizenship clinics, and workshops on nonviolence.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Bimonthly reports


SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER, INC. (SPLC)
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104

Edward Ashworth, Executive Director
Tel: (334) 264-0286
Fax: (334) 264-0629
TDD: None

SPLC is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that seeks to protect and advance the legal rights of victims of injustice through civil litigation, education programs, publications, film, and resource information. Its current major project is "Teaching Tolerance," an education project dedicated to helping teachers promote interracial and intercultural understanding in the classroom. Another project is Klanwatch, intended to combat Ku Klux Klan and Skinhead activities and hate crimes.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Various quarterly and semiannual reports


SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL
133 Carnegie Way, Suite 900
Atlanta, GA 30303-1024

Lottie Shackleford, President
Tel: (404) 522-8764
Fax: (404) 522-8791
TDD: None

The Council is a nonmembership organization, established in 1944, working to promote equality in American life. Its Governing Board consists of 120 prominent Southerners and directs activity in 11 States. The Council monitors southern institutions for responsiveness to public needs, publishes reports and analyses on public policy issues, and maintains special projects such as the Southern Legislative Research Council. The Research Council assists State legislators in researching and drafting legislation relevant to black and poor constituents.

Geographic areas(s) served: Southern United States
Type(s) of publications: Magazine, quarterly newsletter, and reports


TOMAS RIVERA CENTER (TRC)
241 E. Eleventh Street
Steele Hall, Third Floor
Claremont, CA 91711-6194

Dr. Harry Pachon, President
Tel: (909) 621-8897
Fax: (906) 621-8898
TDD: None

The TRC is a national institute for policy studies whose mission is to assist policymakers in understanding the issues affecting the quality of life of the Nation's Latino population. With headquarters in Claremont and offices in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, Texas, TRC conducts studies, disseminates information, and promotes discussion on the vital issues and challenges facing the Latino community. It is primarily concerned with educational policies and practices that directly influence the equality of education of Latinos, as well as issues affecting the employment and economic status of Latinos.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Reports, briefs, newsletters, and occasional papers


TRIAL LAWYERS FOR PUBLIC JUSTICE (TLPJ)
1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036

Arthur H. Bryant, Executive Director
Tel: (202) 797-8600
Fax: (202) 232-7203
TDD: None

TLPJ is a national public interest law firm that specializes in socially significant and precedent-setting litigation. TLPJ's diverse docket includes cases addressing civil rights violations. In recent years, TLPJ has successfully handled a number of sexual and disability discrimination cases and successfully represented victims of human rights abuses.

Geographic areas(s) served: United States
Type(s) of publications: Newsletter