Catherine lhamon biography

Catherine Lhamon is the chair of the U. Commission on Civil Rights.

Catherine lhamon twitter

President Barack Obama appointed her to a six-year term on December 15, , and the Commission unanimously confirmed her as chair on December 28, Although the year-old Commission lacks the authority to enforce civil rights laws, it plays an important role in publicizing discrimination of all kinds and pointing out solutions, which will likely be important over the next few years of the regimes of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Born August 5, , Catherine Elizabeth Lhamon learned about racism and civil rights early on, as her parents were activists , and she was the product of a mixed-race marriage; the Supreme Court had overturned laws against such marriages only a few years earlier. She earned a B. After law school, Lhamon served a year as a judicial law clerk for Judge William A.

Lhamon returned to Washington, DC, in to serve as the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Department of Education. Nominated by President Obama to the position in June , she was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 1, While there, Lhamon spearheaded efforts to combat sexual assault on college campuses. Her approach of forcing schools to adopt policies and procedures for investigating and adjudicating assault allegations was sharply criticized , not only by conservatives but by liberals as well, for not respecting the rights of accused persons.