Last week, the decision by a Board of Governors working group to “recommend” the closing of the UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity attracted national attention for the blatantly partisan nature of the act.
Board member Steven Long’s recommendation to strip the UNC Center for Civil Rights’ of the independence the center needs to be effective attracted slightly less notice.
Long criticized the center for participating in lawsuits against the state, counties and municipalities.
Long, who once served on the board of directors of Civitas Action, a conservative advocacy group, has accused the center of being a partisan organization.
Long does not appear to understand the nature of civil rights law, the value of training new generations of civil rights lawyers or the possibility that institutions of the state are perfectly capable of violating a person’s civil rights.
The Center for Civil Rights has a legitimate place at this university and performs essential acts of public service for the people of North Carolina. To do so, the center requires the ability to perform its most essential mission: litigating violators of individuals’ civil rights, whoever they are.
Long should not get into the business of telling experts in civil rights law how to practice their professions. UNC must ignore Long’s directions, even if that means risking the center’s existence.
If the Board of Governors takes its mission of serving the people of North Carolina seriously, it will halt its efforts to interfere with the ability of civil rights lawyers to do their jobs.
