http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/25/roberts.supporters/WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With the approach of Senate confirmation hearings for President Bush's Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, representatives from a handful of advocacy organizations Thursday announced support for him and criticized groups on the left who claim to speak for minority groups.
At a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, speakers from the Congress of Racial Equality, the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, Project 21, the Center for New Black Leadership, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said liberal advocacy groups who came out against Roberts' nomination this week did not speak for all minority communities, including blacks and Hispanics.
"We are not a monolith. We come from many different religious backgrounds and different socioeconomic backgrounds," said Jennifer Braceras, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Congress of Racial Equality spokesman Niger Innis, who led the coalition of organizations and individuals, said he was speaking on behalf of voices in the black community that often are not heard on issues of concern to all Americans, but particularly to African-Americans.
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