Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recognizes 60 years of fighting for racial justice


During the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s 60th Anniversary celebration at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. on June 20, Committee President and Executive Director Damon T. Hewitt (far right) presented Luminary Awards to (left to right) William Robinson, Professor of Law Emeritus at the University of the District of Columbia and former president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Marc H. Morial, son of Ernest N. Morial, president of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans; Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and former president of the Lawyers’ Committee; Beverly Cutler, daughter of Lloyd Cutler and the first woman to sit on the state Superior Court in Alaska; and John Brittain, former chief counsel for the Lawyer’s Committee and Olie W. Rauh Professor of Law at the University of the District of Columbia.

(Photo by Heaven Brown/Imagine Photography, courtesy of  Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law)


The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is celebrating 60 years of action using legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of democracy real. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization mobilizes the private bar’s leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity.

On Tuesday, June 20, the Lawyers’ Committee marked its 60th anniversary with a signature event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This special evening honored the organization’s founding and victories achieved over the years while also reaffirming its commitment to realizing “The Future We Deserve.”

Founded on June 21, 1963, at the request of President John F. Kennedy, the Lawyers’ Committee has spent six decades fighting for issues including voting rights, affirmative action, and digital justice. The Lawyers’ Committee stands on the front lines of the most pressing and complex civil rights problems, using litigation, public education, and other advocacy tools to address discrimination, advance the law and take defensive action when necessary to safeguard fragile gains.

“As we commemorate our 60th anniversary, we look back with pride on a history marked by resilience and triumph in the face of adversity. The Lawyers’ Committee was created to confront and conquer the profound injustices facing Black people and other people of color,” said Damon T. Hewitt, president, and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee. “As we look to the future, we draw strength from our foundation with unshaken resolve. We persist in our pursuit of a society where the ideals of democracy are not just abstract concepts but lived realities for the communities we serve. Together, we can build a future we deserve — a future illuminated by justice, equality, and enduring opportunity.”