July 2, 1964 is one of the most important dates in
modern United States history. That is
the date that President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of
1964. CRA 1964 was passed by the United
States Congress and had the purpose of codifying basic civil rights for Black
Americans by:
…enforcing the constitutional right to vote… to
provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations…to
protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to
extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally
assisted programs, and to establish a Commission on Equal Employment
Opportunity…
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination
on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Provisions of
this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as,
race in hiring, promoting, and firing. The Act prohibited discrimination in
public accommodations and federally funded programs. It also strengthened the
enforcement of voting rights and the desegregation of schools.
Source: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/civil-rights-center/statutes/civil-rights-act-of-1964
The passage of CRA 1964
was not the first attempt by Congress to make it illegal to discriminate
against freed African slaves and their descendants. The signing of the Emancipation Proclamation
did not make discrimination and bigotry disappear. Instead, slave owners and their supporters
made post slavery life extremely difficult for freed slaves, so
forward-thinking members of Congress, who believed Black Americans should have access
to the same rights as any other U.S. citizen, began crafting civil rights
legislation.
The
first Civil Rights Act was in 1866, a direct response to the Black Codes of 1865. President Andrew Johnson vetoed
the bill, but Congress was able to override the veto. In 1871 Congress passed a Civil Rights Act
that empowered the federal government to use military force
against people and organizations that denied the constitutional rights of other
citizens. The enforcement of the Act was
specifically targeted towards White supremacy groups
that continued to terrorize Black citizens.
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first major civil
rights legislation since Reconstruction and authorized the prosecution of
persons who violated any U. S. citizen’s right to vote. CRA 1957 was initiated by President Dwight
Eisenhower and established a Commission on Civil Rights to investigate civil
rights violations, and also established a Civil Rights Division within the
Department of Justice. There also was the
Civil Rights Act of 1960 that focused on retention of voting records.
The signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 offered
hope for better days for Blacks in America.
For 100 years Blacks had fought and died to have the same basic rights
that White Americans had. Africans did
not come here by choice, so when the law changed, and the chains were no longer
legal, that should have been the watershed moment that opened up the doors to
opportunity for Black Americans. That
did not happen, and ever since, it’s been necessary to fight those who prefer
to relegate Blacks to second class citizenry.
CRA 1964 seemed to be the game-changer that would move the ball further
down the field, but since its passage there have been continuous legal
challenges and legislative manipulation designed to move the goal posts. Despite the challenges, CRA 1964 still serves
as a powerful piece of legislation. The
Act took elements from previous Civil Rights Acts to create a more
comprehensive law. It also served as infrastructure
for subsequent legislation such as the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair
Housing Act which was established by the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
There can be no argument that the past 60 years have been
marked by tremendous progress for Black Americans in education, business,
politics, housing, and social engagement, yet in 2024 there are factions
determined to not only thwart continued progress, but to actually revert back
to a time when Blacks did not have legal protections under the law. Fortunately, Black folk have not been sleeping,
and are using an enlightened and creative spirit to develop effective ways to
squash challenges. It is understood that
protecting civil rights is an ongoing endeavor..
Some would suggest that it is fear that drives many Whites
to cling to their intense desire to diminish the Black community. They want to return to the era of Jim Crow
because of a fear of being left behind as Blacks continue to gain economic,
educational, and political power. It is
true that over the last 60 years Blacks have not just survived, but thrived despite
relentless attacks on civil rights by neo-segregationists. Blacks understand that past progress does not
guarantee future success, thus it is necessary to remain vigilant against those
who are scared.
It is both right and proper to recognize the
significance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and there is no question that Juneteenth
should be recognized and celebrated, but we must make sure to recognize and
remember July 2nd, 1964, the day the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was
signed into law. That date empowers us
with the civil rights that have gotten us to this day, and will be the catalyst
that allows us to defend and protect civil rights in the future.
