[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 90 (Friday, June 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1280]]
    HONORING 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF PASSAGE OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2004

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution.
  First, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia, Ms. Norton, for introducing House Resolution 676, which 
recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and for her work in getting this bill on 
the House floor today.
  H. Res. 676 recognizes the advancements we have made in the 40 years 
since the Civil Rights Act was passed, and reaffirms the work we need 
to do, not only to retain what progress has been made, but also to 
continue to move toward greater social existence and inclusion.
  But I want to take a step back for a moment and trace some of the 
history that led up to the passage of the Civil Rights Act.
  Many of us can remember what it was like in America back in the 
tumultuous era of the 1960's. It was a time of social unrest marked by 
riots and protests across the country.
  Growing up in this era, we were all galvanized by the passion and 
commitment of our civil rights leaders who worked to end America's 
immoral practice of discrimination.
  The 1960's and the decades preceding were marked by unprecedented 
resistance to racial segregation and discrimination captured by the 
`freedom rides' throughout the south, the Lunch counter sit-ins, forced 
school integration in segregated schools, Supreme Court cases 
challenging Jim Crow practices and the individual stances that our 
parents took at their jobs and in their neighborhoods.
  Here in Washington, A. Phillip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, along with 
a young activist from Georgia by the name of John Lewis, coordinated 
and organized a non-violent march on Washington on August 28, 1963 
bringing more than 200,000 people to the Nation's Capital to hear Dr. 
Martin Luther King Jr., and other speakers and to demand the dignity, 
justice, and jobs that were promised by the government, and to have 
their economic and political concerns heard.
  To be Black in America at the time meant you had no voice in the 
government, could not attend good schools, could not get good jobs, and 
in short, could not live a free life.
  For over 100 years after slavery was abolished, Blacks and other 
minority groups were relegated to second class citizenship.
  And because of all these facts, the March on Washington was nothing 
short of revolutionary in the precedent it set as the culmination of a 
national social movement.
  But the real test of the movement was whether it could accomplish 
change.
  As Bayard Rustin wrote of the March in his magazine, Liberation in 
1963:

       ``What counted most at the Lincoln Memorial was not the 
     speeches, eloquent as they were, but the pledge of a quarter 
     million Americans, black and white, to carry the civil rights 
     revolution into the streets. Our task is now to fulfill this 
     pledge through nonviolent uprisings in hundreds of cities.''

  It was on February 10, 1964 that Congress finally passed an 
unprecedented and highly contentious bill to support and protect the 
civil liberties and rights of all people.
  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 in many ways turned a new page on the 
history of our nation, and all people, regardless of race, class or 
gender, were acknowledged as equal citizens of our nation.
  Signed into law on July 2, 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
outlawed segregation in businesses such as theaters, restaurants, and 
hotels.
  It banned discriminatory practices in employment and ended 
segregation in public places such as swimming pools, libraries, and 
other public facilities.
  And while it is often misconceived that the Civil Rights Act only 
affected the lives of Black Americans in the 1960s, this landmark 
legislation also protected the rights of women for the first time in 
history.
  But as we all know, by itself the legislation could not transform the 
hearts and minds of those who truly believed in segregation. Only time 
could truly do that.
  Yet the injustices that Blacks and other minorities faced with the 
tacit approval of the government were finally over.
  But today our March, our struggle, and our cause are not over.
  Today we are still attempting to understand and counteract the 
ramifications of the physical and mental enslavement which our 
ancestors were subjected to.
  Profound inequalities remain imbedded in American society.
  For example, black women are less likely to have breast cancer, but 
are more likely to die from this terrible disease because of the 
discrepancies in our health care system.
  And according to the AFL-CIO, the average 25-year-old working woman 
will lose more than $523,000 due to unequal pay during her working 
life.
  Facts such as these indicate that our work is far from complete.
  Our Nation's capital, the icon of our collective American legacy pays 
sparse tribute to the African forefathers of this country and our Civil 
Rights leaders.
  Despite the fact that this country was built on the backs of slaves, 
there are few commemorative statues or paintings that demonstrate as 
much.
  Perhaps most glaringly, there is still no national memorial dedicated 
to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on our National Mall.
  And in this day and age, it is even more important that we continue 
to fight for our civil right and civil liberties, especially in light 
of the Patriot Act.
  The resolution we are discussing today not only recognizes how far 
our country has come along, but it also praises the sweat and blood 
that was sacrificed to make sure that we got here.
  This commemorative resolution is a testament to the shift in this 
country toward the spirit of inclusion and equality.
  It also reminds us of how much we have left to do.
  Our great society is highly regarded around the globe because of our 
laws, which ensure the integrity of our constitution and perpetuate the 
belief that all men and women are created equal.
  The legacies of those who marched, protested, and died for our cause 
capture the true sentiment of our nation. By passing this resolution we 
continue to commemorate their struggle, our struggle.
  It is the ultimate sacrifice of individuals like Dr. Martin Luther 
Ling Jr., from which we all benefit.
  We must honor their memory by continuing to work to realize their 
vision.
  And today we will honor their memory by passing this resolution.

                          ____________________