Civil Rights
Help Us Report on How the Department of Education Is Handling Civil Rights Cases
Have you recently filed a civil rights complaint or do you have a pending case? We need your help to get a full picture of how the dismantling of the Office for Civil Rights is affecting students, parents, school employees and their communities.
“They Don’t Care About Civil Rights”: Trump’s Shuttering of DHS Oversight Arm Freezes 600 Cases, Imperils Human Rights
The closure of the 150-person office, which protected the civil rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, strips Homeland Security of its internal guardrails as the Trump administration turns DHS into a mass-deportation machine, analysts say.
In Secret Recording, a Top City Library Official Calls Alaska Natives “Woke” and “Racists”
Despite Judy Eledge’s history of inflammatory comments and social media posts, Alaska’s governor has awarded her public money and a national role. What’s more, city and state agencies meant to protect Alaskans’ civil rights have been hamstrung.
Local Reporting Network
Eugene Clemons May Be Ineligible for the Death Penalty. A Rigid Clinton-Era Law Could Force Him to Be Executed Anyway.
His lawyers presented no defense at trial. Then a clerk’s office misplaced a plea for his civil rights behind a file cabinet. Now, it’s almost impossible for the federal courts to address the problems with his case.
Featured Reporters
Impact of Our Reporting
New Mexico AG to Investigate Gallup-McKinley School District for Harsh Discipline of Native American Students
Gallup-McKinley County Schools enrolls a quarter of New Mexico’s Native students but was responsible for at least three-quarters of Native expulsions over four years.
Local Reporting Network
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Confirms a Pattern of Age Discrimination at IBM
A sweeping decision by the EEOC could cost the tech giant millions in settlements or make it the target of a federal age-discrimination lawsuit. Its findings echo those of a ProPublica investigation.
Grace, Black Teen Jailed for Not Doing Her Online Coursework, Is Released
Grace’s story, first published by ProPublica Illinois, prompted outrage and debate across the country. Though a judge refused to set the girl free, the Michigan Court of Appeals ordered her immediate release from a juvenile detention facility in Detroit.
Series
Series: Segregation Academies: Decades After Desegregation, Private Schools Still Divide
Series: Overcorrection: Crisis in California Jails
Series: Ignoring Innocence: The Wrongfully Convicted Forced Into Plea Deals
Series: Walking While Black: Pedestrian Enforcement and Racial Profiling
Series: Documenting Hate: Tracking Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents
Series: Dispatches from Freedom Summer: Race Then and Now
What We’re Watching
During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.
Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.
Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.
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