Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Dariely Rodriguez

Deputy Chief Counsel | Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights
Dariely Rodriguez is deputy chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law. Dariely most recently served as a political appointee Chief of Staff in the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs at the U.S. Department of Labor under the Biden Administration. She previously spent four years at the Lawyers’ Committee as the Director of the organization’s Economic Justice Project. Dariely has co-authored amicus briefs before the Supreme Court. Rodriguez served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Bureau in the Office of the Attorney General of New York and worked in private practice.

Presentations from Facing Race 2024

Over, Under, Around and Through: The Many Ways to Advance Racial Equity in the Face of Legal Attacks

Since 2021, there have been a deluge of executive actions, legislation, court challenges, and other direct attacks on equity writ large with a special emphasis on racial equity via anti-CRT and DEI laws. Almost every state in the nation has at least seen a bill introduced. Most of these hostile statutes are more rhetorical than relevant and do not preclude real-world racial equity programs.

Similarly, even negative Court rulings have made clear that the vast majority of race-informed institutional strategies are legally sound. Yet, these legal attacks have had their intended effects, with political pressure and threats creating significant obstacles for racial equity work in many jurisdictions

During this breakout session, participants will hear from legal experts who are supporting racial equity practitioners in government. You will learn what initiatives and efforts these laws do and do not impact from a legal perspective, how to engage your general counsel, and what resources are available in the field to navigate this complicated landscape.

Participants in this breakout session will hear and walk through real-world examples of legal messaging, strategy, and interventions to protect and sustain racial equity work in government.

Speakers: Margaret Duan, Dariely Rodriguez