From Loretta King

Excerpts:

Title VI DVD- On July 20, we will be re-releasing our award-winning Title VI video. The DVD jacket notes two legal updates since we created the video in 2001. It will be released in English and will soon be available also with subtitles in Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Korean. The video provides agencies with a useful tool for training civil rights staff and recipients about Title VI obligations. To request copies, call the Coordination and Review Section at (202) 307-2222.

Civil Rights Compliance- I have asked that COR (and the Disability Rights Section for disability-related issues) place a high priority on providing agencies with technical assistance in support of their efforts to strengthen civil rights compliance programs. I urge each federal agency to examine anew all aspects of its compliance program. COR stands ready to assist you with this task.

We are developing additional guidance concerning best practices in federal compliance program implementation. In the meantime, you may wish to refer to the Memorandum from the Assistant Attorney General to Executive Agency Civil Rights Directors, Enforcement ofTitle VI ofthe Civil Rights Act of1964 in Block Grant-Type Programs (Jan. 28, 1999), which can be found at

http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/cor/Pubs/blkgrnt.php

Title VI: The Need For Strong Action- When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted, the import of Title VI became clear relatively quickly. The administrative power of Title VI -linking funding to nondiscrimination proved to be as powerful as litigation, particularly in the area of education desegregation. Why? Because the federal government determined that Title VI had powerful potential and worked boldly to ensure enforcement. Although the context has changed, the need for vigilance and for strong agency action to root out discrimination on the basis ofrace, color, and national origin have not.