Engagement with Key Communities Team

Public outreach and engagement initiatives with American Arab, Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, Somali, Middle Eastern, and other ethnic and religious communities play a major role in the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect America while preserving our freedoms. 

The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) Engagement Team (E-Team) believes it is wise to invest time communicating with these key communities and other members of the American public in order to provide information and respond to concerns. 

Current Geographic Areas of Focus

The E-Team is currently active in eight metropolitan areas:

• Washington, D.C.
• Houston, Texas
• Chicago, Ill.
• Los Angeles, Calif.
• Boston, Mass.
• Detroit, Mich.
• Columbus, Ohio (and other metropolitan areas of Ohio)
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. 

The majority of this activity consists of leading (or playing significant roles in) roundtable meetings between community members and federal, state, and local government officials. The E-Team’s work also includes broader outreach and engagement events in these areas, which are often linked to or associated with the community roundtables. 

The specified geographical areas do not reflect the entirety of the E-Team’s work: E-Team officials routinely participate in events in other cities and locales. 

Current Engagement Products

E-Team members routinely provide input and comments to Department programs and policies, and work with other office personnel in addressing the many issues that are at the intersection of national security and civil rights. The E-Team has found that directly engaging the American public, including ethic and religious communities, is an excellent way to provide information and surface issues of concern.  Below is a summary of major outreach and engagement initiatives:        

• Community Roundtables in Key Cities.  As stated above, CRCL hosts regular roundtable meetings with religious and community groups across the nation, which  serve as a point of inquiry and redress for individuals concerned about their rights as Americans.
  
  
• Roundtable with Young Leaders.  CRCL has hosted four “Roundtables on Security and Liberty: Perspectives of Young Leaders Post-9/11” with representatives from the Arab, Muslim, Sikh, South Asian, and Middle Eastern American communities.  These took place in Los Angeles (November 2008); Houston (June 2008); and Washington, DC (July 2007 and June 2008 ). 
  
  
• Incident Communication Coordination Team.  The E-Team manages an “Incident Community Coordination Team” that allows CRCL to engage with Arab, Muslim, Sikh, Middle Eastern, Somali, and South Asian American community leaders in the aftermath of any future terrorist act or homeland security incident.  CRCL believes this will be a critical tool in the hours and days after another terrorist attack on our country.
  
  
• Cultural Competency Training.  Based on recommendations from key communities, CRCL has worked to improve the cultural competency of Department personnel. For example, the office has widely distributed its training posters on common types of Muslim and Sikh American head coverings, developed a training DVD on basic aspects of Arab and Muslim cultures, and has created a training poster on the Kirpan, a Sikh article of faith. As an expansion of this effort, CRCL has recently created a more formal training program for federal, state, and local law enforcement, which will help increase communication, build trust, and encourage interactive dialogue between officers and the communities they serve and protect. Discussion topics include: misconceptions and stereotypes of Islam and Muslims; effective policing without the use of ethnic or racial profiling; and a best practices approach to community interaction and outreach. CRCL’s experience has shown that these training products equip Department employees with the knowledge to increase effectiveness and further the Department goals to protect America while preserving our freedoms.
  
  
• Improving the Diversity and Critical Language Skills of the Department. One significant aspect of CRCL’s engagement effort is promoting civil service at job fairs, conferences, and in media outlets serving ethnic and religious communities. As a result, community leaders have begun encouraging young people in their communities to seek employment with the federal government. This has allowed us to create the National Security Internship Program, a partnership between the FBI and the Department, which brought almost two dozen Arabic speakers into our intelligence divisions during the summer of 2008. CRCL expects that through this program a steady stream of Arabic speakers will enter public service and begin working at federal intelligence and security agencies. To learn more about the program, visit www.nationalsecurityinternship.com.