The federal government is making a mistake: it is putting money before civil rights. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has plans to close two of its six regional offices, one in Denver and the other in Kansas City due to budgetary problems. The budget problems can be fixed. Filling the gap left by the closures cannot.
Why is the Denver office worth saving? It is, by any standard, a fiscally effective machine. The Denver office supports not only Colorado, but also that of six other state advisory committees (North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and New Mexico). This very small office of three people has staffed all seven committees, helped numerous victims of civil rights violations and provided extensive outreach and education. It has been instrumental in helping local elected officials develop their own human relations commissions so that local problems can be solved at that level, instead of requiring federal or state intervention.
Our regional office serves many rural and isolated communities, including 60 Indian reservations. These areas suffer from isolation and neglect, and have fewer resources than large urban areas. The rates of suicide, alcoholism, poverty, and unemployment there cry out for more attention, not less.
The concerns of Hispanic communities in Colorado’s San Luis Valley are another glaring example of the need for more human rights resources. The dropout rates for minority students in our public schools are alarming.
Help for all of these problems currently comes from the Denver regional office of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Understaffed commission offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and the District of Columbia cannot possibly fill the void that will be created by eliminating the Denver office.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has a history of almost 60 years serving as the conscience of the country on issues of equality. Its work was instrumental in the passage of the major civil rights legislation of the past century.
The commission has a network of advisory committees throughout the nation that assists in documenting issues of civil rights violations. The 51 committees (one in each state and the District of Columbia) serve as the “eyes and ears” for the commission. The committees are composed of citizens who serve without compensation and contribute to the important work of civil rights within their respective states. I have chaired the Colorado Advisory Committee since 2002, and have been a member since 1988. During this period, we have held public forums in Denver, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Durango and Pueblo and have published reports on language discrimination, access to higher education, immigration reform, and issues of equality in western Colorado.
At all of the public meetings, the Colorado Advisory Committee affords an opportunity for citizens to voice their concerns. This process has helped to legitimize issues of disenfranchised communities, including persons of color, immigrants, women in poverty, the disabled, senior citizens and youth.
The Colorado Advisory Committee’s members are Republicans, Democrats and Independents. There exists no partisan agenda, but one that serves to promote the well-being of all Coloradans.
We recognize that the commission has some serious budgetary problems. It makes little sense, however, to dismantle some of its most important work in order to resolve a temporary budgetary problem.
It is essential there be a way found to prevent closure of the Denver regional office. Once shuttered, it is unlikely that it would ever be reopened. Though it may be far removed from the nation’s capital and the major population centers, it is not far removed from the people it is in place to help. Our elected leaders and the commission must find a way to keep alive the presence of the civil rights commission in the Denver region. We deserve no less.
Leo Goto is chairman of the Colorado Advisory Committee, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
