A message from Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez

From the time of our nation’s founding, Americans have cherished above all else the promise of equal opportunity and equal justice under the law. The Civil Rights Division is the conscience of our country, enforcing laws designed to give meaning to that enduring promise.

Attorney General Eric Holder has called the Civil Rights Division the “crown jewel” of the Department of Justice. Indeed, the Division has a long and distinguished history of combating discrimination in all its shapes and forms. I am honored to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for the Division, and will work tirelessly with the dedicated career staff to restore the luster to this crown jewel, and ensure that the Division is the nation’s preeminent civil rights law enforcement agency.

I had the privilege of serving as a career prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division for many years. I am proud of the work the Division performed during those years, and I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the strong commitment to aggressive, even-handed, nonpartisan law enforcement. This ethic is critical to the Division’s success.

America has come a long way in the battle against bigotry, but we are all too frequently reminded that, in the words of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, civil rights remains the unfinished business of America. The Civil Rights Division has a critical role to play in addressing this unfinished business.

Many civil rights challenges have regrettably endured for decades, while new challenges continue to emerge. The Civil Rights Division must address both. We will use all of the tools in our arsenal to enforce the laws of the land so that everyone has access to equal justice, and the opportunity to reach for the American Dream. We will work in partnership with sister agencies at a federal, state and local level, as well as other stakeholders. We will reach out to communities so that we can prevent discrimination and violence from occurring in the first place.

Our nations vivid, storied and sometimes heartbreaking past has led to much progress. We should allow that progress to inspire us to continue the fight that was started centuries ago, and to continue to pursue America’s promise of equal opportunity for all.