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About CRS
About CRS
Our Mission: America's Peacemaker
CRS serves as “America’s Peacemaker” for communities facing conflict based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. CRS works toward its mission by providing facilitated dialogue, mediation, training, and consultation to assist these communities to come together, develop solutions to the conflict, and enhance their capacity to independently prevent and resolve future conflict.
All CRS services are confidential and provided on a voluntary basis, free of charge to the communities. CRS is not an investigatory or prosecutorial agency and does not have any law enforcement authority. CRS works with all parties to develop solutions to conflict and serves as a neutral party.
Our History
Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 authorized CRS to assist communities facing disputes, disagreements, or difficulties relating to allegations of discriminatory practices based on race, color, or national origin. CRS’s mandate expanded in 2009 under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act to include working with communities to prevent and respond to alleged hate crimes based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. With its unique mission, CRS is the only federal agency dedicated to assisting state and local governments, private and public organizations, law enforcement agencies, tribal communities, and community groups to resolve conflicts based on these aspects of identity.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title X of which established CRS. |
 Joe Tresh President Barack Obama signs the Hate Crimes Prevention Act which expanded CRS's mandate. |
Our Focus
CRS works with community groups to resolve community conflicts and prevent and respond to alleged hate crimes arising from differences of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. CRS was established by Title X of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its mandate was expanded by the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009.
Our Stakeholders
CRS assists state and local governments, private and public organizations, educational organizations, law enforcement, tribal communities, and community groups in resolving conflicts based on actual or perceived race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.
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Our Reach
CRS has a Headquarters office in Washington, D.C., ten regional offices, and four field offices which support work within their region. The regional and field offices are strategically located throughout the country to maximize the availability of CRS’s services, meet the unique needs of the communities they serve, and enable staff to deploy to communities quickly in times of crisis.
CRS Historical Timeline
CRS has a long history of serving as "America's Peacemaker." Click here for an interactive timeline of highlights from CRS's work serving as America's Peacemaker over the years.