[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[August 4, 1994]
[Pages 1430-1432]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum on the Civil Rights Working Group
August 4, 1994

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject: Civil Rights Working Group

    I am writing to you about our responsibility to promote equal 
opportunity for all Americans. We have accomplished much in our pursuit 
of a society in which all our people can achieve their God-given 
potential. But we still have a long way to go.
    Americans believe that in spite of our differences, there is in all 
of us a common core of humanity that obliges us to respect one another 
and to live in harmony and peace. We must build on this belief and give 
real meaning to civil rights by tearing down all remaining barriers to 
equal opportunity--in education, employment, housing, and every area of 
American life.
    Throughout the Nation, each of us must bring new energy to our 
efforts to promote an open and inclusive society. Those of us who are 
public servants have a special obligation. At the Federal level, we will 
do this by re-evaluating the civil

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rights missions, policies, and resources of every agency, so that they 
carry out their missions in a manner consistent with the 
Administration's commitment to equal opportunity. In reviewing our 
activities, we must seek not only to eliminate barriers to equal access 
and opportunity, but also to identify opportunities for innovation. No 
Federal office should be exempt from the obligation to further the 
struggle for civil rights. And every State and local government should 
be encouraged to do the same.
    On January 17, 1994, I issued an Executive order establishing a 
President's Fair Housing Council to be chaired by the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development. Working across agencies and programs, 
this Council will bring new focus and leadership to the administration 
of the Federal Government's fair housing programs. On February 11, 1994, 
I issued an Executive order directing agencies to develop strategies to 
identify, analyze, and address environmental inequities that are the 
result of Federal policies. That order will increase public 
participation in the environmental decision-making process.
    In addition to these efforts, I believe more can be done to exercise 
leadership for civil rights enforcement. That is why I hereby establish 
a Civil Rights Working Group, under the auspices of the Domestic Policy 
Council, to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Federal civil 
rights enforcement missions and policies. The Civil Rights Working Group 
will identify barriers to equal access, impediments to effective 
enforcement of the law, and effective strategies to promote tolerance 
and understanding in our communities and workplaces. More important, I 
expect the Working Group to develop new approaches to address these 
issues.
    The principal focus of the Working Group will be our civil rights 
enforcement efforts. We must recognize, however, that public and private 
enforcement resources will never be fully adequate to the task, and all 
of the remaining obstacles to opportunity cannot be removed through 
litigation alone. Therefore, I direct the Working Group to identify 
innovative strategies that can leverage our limited resources to provide 
new avenues for equal opportunity and equal rights. Among those 
potential strategies are new measures relying on civic education and 
voluntary efforts to engage citizens in overcoming the effects of past 
discrimination. These new strategies should be designed to complement 
our improved and reinvigorated enforcement efforts.
    The Attorney General and the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget will co-chair the Working Group. The following Administration 
officials will serve as members: the Secretary of the Treasury, the 
Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of 
the Interior, the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the 
Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of 
Veterans Affairs, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency, the Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the 
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the 
President for Domestic Policy, and the Assistant to the President and 
Director of Public Liaison. I also have invited the Chairperson of the 
Commission on Civil Rights to participate in this crucial endeavor on an 
informal basis, respecting the independent and critical voice we expect 
of that Commission. Finally, this membership list is not exclusive. I 
invite and encourage all Cabinet officers and agency heads to 
participate in the Working Group.
    The Working Group will advise appropriate Administration officials 
and me on how we might modify Federal laws and policies to strengthen 
protection under the laws and on how to improve coordination of the vast 
array of Federal programs that directly or indirectly affect civil 
rights. I direct the Working Group to provide the Cabinet and me with a 
brief progress report no less than every 6 months, and specifically to:
    (a) examine each Federal agency with a significant civil rights 
        mission and provide me with an evaluation of how well that 
        mission is being implemented. These analyses should examine 
        whether each agency uses the experience gained from enforcement 
        activities of other agencies and other levels of government. 
        Counterproductive and inconsistent practices should be 
        identified and proposals for change recommended;
    (b) examine cross-cutting civil rights law enforcement challenges 
        such as voting rights and equal access to government benefit 
        programs and identify innovative means of coordinating and 
        leveraging resources;

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    (c) develop better measures of performance for Federal civil rights 
        enforcement programs, taking into account the real impact of 
        programs on the daily lives of all Americans; and
    (d) support and advise all agencies as we reinvent our strategies 
        for the promotion of an open and inclusive society.
    With this interagency effort, I underscore the commitment of this 
Administration to bring new energy and imagination to the opportunity 
agenda. In departments and agencies throughout the Federal Government, 
this work is already well underway. The Working Group will provide a 
mechanism to expand and accelerate that vital work. Its work will be 
among our greatest contributions to the people we serve.

                                                      William J. Clinton