Today we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Pushed through Congress by President Lyndon B. Johnson, it is arguably the most important legislation to come out of the Civil Rights Movement. The most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Act outlaws discrimination, ended racial segregation, and protected the voting rights of minorities and women. The Civil Rights Act opened the door for other significant and historic legislation such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This milestone was the culmination of bipartisan Congressional leadership, peaceful protests, and determined activism from grassroots and national leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and National Bar Association members Fred D. Gray, Thurgood Marshall, and others. However, in the 50 years since the Civil Rights Act became the law of the land, its clear that we still have much work to do. A year ago, the Supreme Court of the United States of America greatly weakened the Voting Rights Act of 1965, putting the right to vote in serious danger and in turn delivering a blow to the Civil Rights Act of 64. Currently, states and localities around the country are making changes to elections that would take away the right to vote for some people and African Americans are particularly at risk for voter discrimination. Excessively restrictive and discriminatory state laws disproportionately affect people of color, the poor and senior citizens. Every day that Congress fails to act, voters are in danger. On this day, we celebrate the Civil Rights Acts impact and acknowledge that we must continue to vigorously defend legislation that promotes equal justice. We should urge this Congress, inspired by the bipartisan Congress that passed the Civil Rights Act, to pass the Voting Rights Act of 2014 and protect the right to vote for all Americans.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 23:36:49 +0000
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