This is a report prepared by the Illinois Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. It deals with how local, state and federal officials, as well as private individuals and groups, have dealt with Cairo, Illinois' racial and economic problems. The areas addressed are employment, housing, health, and law enforcement. It has been found that the impact of civil rights legislation has still not reached Cairo after nearly a decade. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has not yet processed its discrimination charges. The State Fair Employment Practices Commission admits it has done "nothing" to end discrimination in Cairo because it does not have the money or legislative authority to take effective action. The City Council lets its attitude towards Blacks stand in the way of selling vacant property to a corporation willing and able to build desperately needed low-income housing for the city's poor. A segregated all-white school continues to operate with the support of federally sponsored tax exempt status while the public school system nears financial ruin. In spite of these failures, Blacks have accomplished a great deal during the past decade. For instance, the biracial board of directors and black administrative staff of a housing corporation have successfully overcome the roadblocks of the City Council and have provided low-income housing for poor whites and blacks. (Author/AM)