By MATT CHANDLER
Buffalo Law Journal

"There is work to be done."

That was the message that Buffalo native Tom Perez, current Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, brought this week to the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. He was on hand to deliver the keynote speech at the seventh annual Race and Reconciliation Conference.

Cynthia Rodriguez-Lane said having a speaker of Perez' magnitude underscored the important issues being discussed. She is executive director of the Commission on Citizens' Rights & Community Relations, sponsor of the daylong event.

"While we hope to celebrate diversity today and to reflect on the accomplishments we have made, we know there are still issues and concerns about equality in the City of Buffalo that need to be discussed," she said.

Perez as keynote speaker led to a shift in the commission's marketing of the program this year, according to Rodriguez-Lane, who said it was aimed more at law firms and legal institutions. Last year's keynote speaker was Angela Davis. Having Perez share his experiences working in the Justice Department would hopefully leave a lasting impression on those who attended the conference, she added.

"We hope that the community people who are coming will each leave with something that they didn't come with," Rodriguez-Lane said. "Some type of knowledge or some type of inspiration to make a difference."

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown echoed those sentiments. While the mayor lauded the strides that Buffalo has made in terms of becoming a more diversified city, he said there is more work to be done.

"The main goal of my administration is to ensure excellent quality of life for our residents," Brown said. "By coming together today, we are able to work toward future commitments to social justice in the City of Buffalo."

Perez, who was born in the Queen City, recalled fond memories of attending Canisius High School. He related stories of injustice and civil inequality that he says demonstrate how far America has had to come in the fight for civil equality. He told of traveling to South Carolina to handle a case of a father and son assaulting an African-American man who had stopped to use a restroom. Another story focused on a school in the South that refused to offer advanced-placement classes to its 100 percent African-American student body. And he told of racially motivated assaults that occurred in New York state on the evening that President Obama was elected.

"People are surprised to hear that this still goes on, but that's what we see in 2010," he said. "I wish that wasn't the case. I wish I was just sitting around, but we are busy with all of this."

Perez drew the call for racial equality close to home as he referenced the pending federal lawsuit challenging the conditions at the Erie County Holding Center.

"We will continue to fight for equality for all people, including people who are incarcerated here at the Erie County jail," he said. "This case isn't about the Hilton; it is about upholding the Constitution."

Perez challenged those in attendance to view the important work of civil rights as something that transcends the color of one's skin. He spoke to the room filled with leaders from the region's business, legal and civic communities about the challenges faced not only by the African-American and Latino communities but of Muslim and Jewish people, as well as the gay/lesbian/bisexual and transgendered community in Buffalo.

"I like to challenge people to identify one or two concrete items that they can do differently," he said. "So what is it? Maybe it is building a bridge between the Muslim and Jewish communities. It can be any number of things, but one thing to know is that this community is remarkable. But that's not what is written about. Every person in that room can make a difference."

Asked what it means for a Buffalo native to ascend to a prestigious position in the Obama administration, Perez said he sees the city as a place that never gives up and he takes that mind-set with him wherever he goes.

"There are wonderful qualities that are part of my DNA that come from growing up in Buffalo," he said. "Loyalty, hard work, character and integrity are what Buffalo is all about."