The Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights was founded in 1982 in response to governmental action that put into question the basic foundations of civil rights policy as it had operated since the enactment in the 1960s of laws providing basic protections.

The members of the Commission all had served during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s in positions of major responsibility in the federal government. In these positions, they had participated in the formulation and implementation of a bipartisan consensus to bring an end to practices of racial discrimination and to devise remedies for such practices that would be effective in undoing their harmful effects.

The Commission was established with equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. They were drawn together in 1982 by their common concern that civil rights laws were no longer being enforced by the federal government and that policies concerning potential remedies in such areas as education, employment, housing and voting were under attack by President Reagan and his administration. The perceived need for a Commission of private citizens was underscored by the fact that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the public agency responsible for monitoring enforcement, fostering public understanding of the issues, and recommending effective policies, appeared to be abandoning that role. Accordingly, the Citizens' Commission was established under the chairmanship of Arthur Flemming to monitor civil rights enforcement, to examine important policy issues affecting equality of opportunity, to publish reports, and to alert decision makers to major issues of concern.

Today, threats to progress in civil rights remain, and the need continues for an independent monitor of civil rights policy and enforcement. Therefore, the Commission continues to have a critical role to play in highlighting the civil rights challenges of the 1990s.