Barbara Arnwine

Who is Barbara Arnwine?

Barbara R. Arnwine has served as the executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law since 1989. Born in southern California, Ms. Arnwine is a graduate of Scripps College and Duke University School of Law. After graduating from Duke Law School, she stayed in Durham and worked for the Durham Legal Assistance Program and as a Reginald Huber Smith fellow. She moved on to the legal service’s head office in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1979, working on affirmative action policies, reviewing contracts, and legal aid programs. In the 1980s she served as executive director of the Boston Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.

She became renowned for her work on the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. She also focused on international civil rights matters, serving as a member of the advance team of the Lawyers’ Committee's South Africa Electoral Observers Delegation. In 1995, she served as the National Convener of the National Conference on African American Women and the Law and led a delegation to the NGO Forum and Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Her involvement contributed to a United Nations Platform for Action that provides protection for women against multiple forms of discrimination. In 2001, Ms. Arnwine helped draft provisions of the program for action for the UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, and Xenophobia in Durban,South Africa.