The Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights was created in 1982 to serve the fact-finding and monitoring functions of a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights that had been stripped of its independence by the incumbent Administration. Since its founding, the Commission's bipartisan membership of former cabinet officers, members of Congress, and high-ranking equal opportunity officials along with prominent business, education, and civic leaders has filled an important role in the civil rights and equal opportunity arenas. During the past 20 years, the Commission's research, reports, and recommendations have played an important role in advancing equal opportunity and staving off attacks on civil rights.

The Commission is well known for publishing biennial, comprehensive reviews of the civil rights policies of each Administration since the second term of President Reagan. These exhaustive reports include a series of working papers and recommendations on a broad range of civil rights issues. The Commission has also produced a variety of special reports on timely topics, including education reform. Our reports, policy briefs, and fact sheets are distributed widely to journalists, scholars, civil rights and parents' groups, corporate and community leaders, and policymakers and have influenced civil rights policy and enforcement. Our views have been solicited by members of Congress, congressional committees, the White House and Executive agencies.