[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 106 (Friday, July 1, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE 52ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 1, 2016

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 52nd 
anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits 
discrimination in public accommodations and education institutions, and 
banned discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of race, 
religion, sex, and national origin.
  On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the legislation 
that set in motion the social and economic revolution that transformed 
our country for the better and would bring about the greatest reduction 
in economic and social inequality among Americans in history.
  Mr. Speaker, today it is difficult to imagine there once was a time 
in our country when it was illegal for African Americans and whites to 
eat in the same public restaurants or to use the same public restrooms.
  It was not so long ago, just 52 years, that it was legal to deny 
African Americans accommodation at hotels, amusement parks, theaters, 
libraries, and swimming pools because they were black.
  But the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed that.
  This change did not happen overnight or by accident.
  It took hard work, courage, patience, determination, and most of all, 
an unwavering faith that America could live up to the true meaning of 
its creed.
  With American leaders embodying faith and courage the Civil Rights 
Act signifies battles fought over many years that our champions finally 
won.
  Leaders like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, Rosa 
Parks, and John Lewis are just a few of the many champions who took a 
stand for freedom and risked their lives to make real the promise of 
America for all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, our nation is a growing melting pot, and we must 
continue to make sure all American citizens, regardless of their 
religion, race, or gender, enjoy the freedoms, opportunities, and 
equality of treatment and opportunity that makes this country the most 
exceptional and indispensable nation in the history of the world.
  But our work is not done.
  Regrettably, Mr. Speaker, in too many places and areas of American 
life, inequalities and unfairness persist.
  For example, women still receive unequal pay.
  The majority of women do not receive paid maternity leave, women only 
make 79 cents per dollar earned by white men.
  The pay gap for women of color is even worse because African American 
women make 64 cents per dollar earned by white men and Latina women 
make 54 cents per dollar earned by white men.
  Our LGBT brothers and sisters still do not yet enjoy the privileges 
as all Americans.
  Victories such as the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality do 
not overshadow the fact that those who identify as LGBT can get married 
on Monday, be fired by Friday, and be kicked out of their apartment by 
Sunday.
  The fight is not over.
  Mr. Speaker, we still have members of minority communities being 
killed based on the basis of the ethnicity, race, gender, religion, or 
sexual orientation.
  The fight is not over; our work is not done.
  Members of the LGBTQ community in too many places are treated as 
second class citizens facing workplace discrimination and subjected to 
bullying, poor mental health, and coping with disparities in access to 
affordable, quality health care.
  Recidivism rates still remain too high in part because formerly 
incarcerated persons find it difficult to obtain the treatment, 
support, and care needed to successfully reintegrate into society.
  Mr. Speaker, although we still have more work to do to ensure that 
equality of opportunity and equal treatment under law is a reality for 
all Americans, we should not let that deter us from taking considerable 
pride in the progress we have made as a nation in the 52 years since 
the passage of the Civil Rights Act, which now includes marriage 
equality and the Supreme Court's decision in Whole Woman's Health v. 
Hellerstedt affirming the right of women to make their own reproductive 
health decisions.
  Social progress and justice does not always come easy or overnight 
but with commitment, determination, and perseverance, progress can be 
made and barriers broken.

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