John,
This week, we celebrate the 59th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
After decades of struggle, this landmark civil rights legislation ended legal racial segregation in public spaces and outlawed discrimination due to race, color, religion, or sex.
Of course, we cannot commemorate this anniversary without also honoring civil rights activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Dorothy Height, President Lyndon Johnson, Ms. Rosa Parks and the many others whose names have not been recorded, but also fought against legalized discrimination and championed equal opportunity.
Our nation was divided in turmoil, and these visionaries ensured our right to stand up, fight for, and dream of a better life and a better America.
I had the opportunity to meet Dr. King on the campus of Morehouse College, and those memories are still so vivid to me now even decades later. Dr. King’s dream was at the forefront of the civil rights movement and inspired the Civil Rights Act in so many ways.
Now, 59 years since its signing, we have achieved so much, but still have so far to go to achieve full equality in our nation.
Onward,
Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.
| From protecting the constitutional rights of African American prisoners in Georgia to advocating for the expansion of voting rights, Sanford Bishop has been a champion for civil rights during his entire career. Support his work for a better, more perfect, and more equal union >> |