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National Black Law Students Association Celebrates the 50th Anniversary
of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964
For Immediate Release
July 2, 2014 
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today
America celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of
1964. In the summer of 1963, President John F. Kennedy called for Civil
Rights legislation, but he was killed before he saw his campaign
promise come to fruition. In an effort to realize Kennedy's dream,
President Lyndon B. Johnson worked with Democrats and Republicans to
push forward the act that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race,
color, religion, sex or national origin. The law and the social
movement behind it came together to alter our nation's history and
attitude towards race. As we reflect on this historic piece of
legislation, it is important to remember the milestones that we have
reached in the 50 years since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the
act, but it is also pertinent to consider the journey ahead.
The
act sought to right the wrongs that our nation had previously exerted
on minorities, particularly African-Americans. It addressed
discrimination in public accommodations, voting and education. Despite
the popularity amongst mainstream America, the act saw opposition from
white business owners who refused to serve or accommodate
African-American patrons which resulted in several court cases.
Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had the authority to
pass the act and business owners were required to comply with it.
Under the law, African-Americans no longer had to enter through
separate entrances or be denied service at lunch counters.
African-American children no longer had to drink water from "coloreds
only" water fountains. The act marked the beginning of what many thought
would become a post-racial United States.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 paved the way for subsequent civil rights legislations in the United States. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were
all heavily influenced by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Without the
passage of such an historic act, women, minorities, and disabled
Americans may not have been afforded to equality they have today.
Since
the passage of the 1964 Act, minorities have reached heights that so
many of the individuals who fought and died for those very same rights
could have never imagined. As individuals who were once treated as
second-class citizens, we have not only been able to receive basic human
rights in the United States, but we have thrived in America. We have
climbed the top of corporate ladders, we have traveled to space and
back, and we have obtained the highest position in the land-President of
the United States; however, the journey is not over. NBLSA Family, we
still have not reached that "mountain top" that Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. spoke about, we still have not broken the bounds of "separate but
equal", and we still have to fight for our piece of the American dream.
Racism
may never be completely eradicated, but the passage of the act helped
to foster a generation that sees racism as irrational and wrong. Without
the passage of this act, there may have never been a President Obama,
Attorney General Holder, Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor or NBLSA. While
we reflect on the last 50 years since the passage of the legislation,
we must never forget that there is always work to be done. It is up to
us to continue to fight for equality for all.
NBLSA
family, today, we ask you to fight with the same fervor and passion
that our people fought with in 1964. Today we ask you think about the
path that so many have blazed so that we could achieve our dreams.
Today we ask you to allow that same spirt to IGNITE your passion for
advocacy, equality and justice for all. We ask you to Lift Your Voices
in Resound and fight to make a better tomorrow.
"Change will not come if we wait
for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been
waiting for. We are the change that we seek." -President Barack Obama
For More Information Please Contact:
Jordan Hadley
National Attorney General
National Black Law Students Association
Kim Brimm
National Director of Public Relations
National Black Law Students Association
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