Work History

Barbara R. Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law since 1989, is internationally renowned for contributions on critical justice issues including the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1991.  A graduate of Scripps College and Duke University School of Law, she continues to champion civil rights issues nationally and internationally in the areas of housing, fair lending, community development, employment, voting, education and environmental justice.  A prominent leader in the civil rights community, Ms. Arnwine also continues to fight for the preservation of affirmative action and diversity programs.

In Addition to Ms. Arnwine's instrumental work leading to the passage of the 1991 civil Rights Act, she has served in numerous other well-renowned capacities.  In 1995, she served as the national convener of the National Conference on African American Women and the Law held in Washington, D.C. which was attended by over 1,000 persons and subsequently led a delegation to the United Nations NGO Forum and Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.  Ms. Arnwine's efforts there contributed to a United Nations Platform for Action that provides protection for women who confront multiple forms of discrimination.

In 2000, she convened the third national conference of African American Women in the Law in Washington, D.C. Some 250 participants in fifteen workshops provided input into the preparation of a Report and Action Agenda for advocacy before the UN General Assembly Special Session on Women.

In 2001, she represented African descendants from the Americas in helping to draft provisions of the program for action of the UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia (WCAR) and related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa. 

In 2004 and 2008, Ms. Arnwine was a prominent leader of the nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition.  To date, the coalition has organized over 37,000 volunteers, including over 20,000 legal volunteers, throughout the nation to staff the 1-866-OUR-VOTE nationwide hotline and serve as mobile legal volunteers at targeted polling places in 32 states.   Under her leadership, Election Protection continues to thrive today, assisting hundreds of thousands of voters, many of whom are historically disenfranchised, to exercise the fundamental right to vote.

Work History 

• Durham Legal Assistance Program, Reginald Huber Smith Fellow, 1976-79
• North Carolina Legal Service, 1979
• Boston Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, executive director, until 1989
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, executive director, 1989 - Present
  
  

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