The Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs (WLC) is a left-of-center litigation and advocacy organization that provides free legal services to support the increased utilization of welfare programs, enforce left-of-center labor policy, and support liberal expansionist immigration policies in Washington, D.C. ¹

Finances

In 2016, WLC received $3,883,145 in contributions² and reported $4,366,657 in net assets. ³

In 2016, WLC received grants from number of left-of-center organizations, including Equal Justice Works ($91,000),⁴ the Aid Association for the Blind of the District of Columbia ($50,000),⁵ The Greater Washington Community Foundation ($38,500),⁶ the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) ($5,000) labor union,⁷ and the Benjamin Fund ($750). ⁸

Advocacy Activity

WLC has taken left-of-center political stances on government housing, labor policy, immigration, and education. Though WLC primarily works though its litigation, it is also active in lobbying for legislation in Washington, D.C.

Public Housing

In 2017, in collaboration with the Equal Rights Center, WLC successfully sued Lenkin Company Management/Residential, Inc., a housing development company, for refusing to rent properties to tenants using publicly-funded housing vouchers. ⁹

The development company, as an outcome of the litigation, agreed to accept government-backed housing vouchers, train official liaisons for the housing program, and undergo extensive fair housing training and civil rights testing. ¹⁰

Employment Litigation

WLC provides free legal services in all areas of employment law on behalf of employees in civil actions against their employers. WLC’s employment litigation practice not only enforces existing employment regulations, but also takes on litigation to expand left-of-center labor policy in Washington, D.C. by setting precedents that allow employees to sue employers for a larger scope of alleged violations. ¹¹ Over the past 50 years, WLC has filed hundreds of cases and 60 class-action lawsuits against employers. ¹² In 2017, WLC merged with the D.C. Employment Justice Center, a legal clinic that also focused on providing free litigation services for D.C. workers. ¹³

Education

WLC supports the Black Lives Matter movement and has supported the extension of Black Lives Matter policies in its education advocacy. WLC has supported the Washington D.C. State Board of Education’s Resolution SR20-10, which, if successful, would defund the maintenance of a police presence in public and charter schools. ¹⁴

Agency Lobbying in Washington, D.C.

WLC is active in lobbying various government agencies, including the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Council of the District of Columbia Committees on Education and Government Operations. ^{15 16}

Leadership

Johnathan Smith became executive director of WLC in 2016. Before becoming executive director, Smith  worked as associate dean of experiential and clinical programs at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. From 2010 through 2015, Smith was the Chief of the Special Litigation Section of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. ¹⁷

1. “What we do” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.  https://www.washlaw.org/what-we-do/
2. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020. Part I, Line 12.
3. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020, Part I, Line 22.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020. Schedule I. Part II.
5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020, Part XV.
6. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020. Schedule I. Part II.
7. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020. Schedule I. Part II.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax” Guidestar.org. Accessed September 19, 2020, Part XV.
9. “Who we serve – Client Stories” https://www.washlaw.org/who-we-serve/client-stories/needs-title-housing-choice-vouchers/
10. “Who we serve – Client Stories” https://www.washlaw.org/who-we-serve/client-stories/needs-title-housing-choice-vouchers/
11. “Employment Justice” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. https://www.washlaw.org/what-we-do/employment-justice/
12. “Employment Justice” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. https://www.washlaw.org/what-we-do/employment-justice/
13. “Merger of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs and the D.C. Employment Justice Center”  Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.  April 19, 2017. Accessed September 20, 2020. https://www.washlaw.org/merger-of-the-washington-lawyers-committee-for-civil-rights-urban-affairs-and-the-d-c-employment-justice-center/
14. “Public Comment of Kaitlin Banner – Deputy Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs to D.C. State Board of Education” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs.   https://www.washlaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Kaitlin-Banner-SBOE-Public-Comment-Police-Free-Schools-6.15.2020.pdf
15. “Public Policy” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. https://www.washlaw.org/news/public-policy/
16. “Public Policy” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. https://www.washlaw.org/news/public-policy/
17. “About us- Staff” Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. https://www.washlaw.org/about-us/staff-leadership/jonathan-smith/