    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9146--JUNE 30, 2014

    Proclamation 9146 of June 30, 2014

    50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Few achievements have defined our national identity as distinctly or as
    powerfully as the passage of the Civil Rights Act. It transformed our
    understanding of justice, equality, and democracy and advanced our long
    journey toward a more perfect Union. It helped bring an end to the Jim
    Crow era, banning discrimination in public places; prohibiting
    employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or
    national origin; and providing a long-awaited enforcement mechanism for
    the integration of schools. A half-century later, we celebrate this
    landmark achievement and renew our commitment to building a freer,
    fairer, greater society.
    Through the lens of history, the progress of the past five decades may
    seem inevitable. We may wish to remember our triumphs while erasing the
    pain and doubt that came before. Yet to do so would be a disservice to
    the giants who led us to the mountaintop, to unsung heroes who left
    footprints on our National Mall, to every American who bled and died on
    the battlefield of justice. In the face of bigotry, fear, and unyielding
    opposition from entrenched interests, their courage stirred our Nation's
    conscience. And their struggle helped convince a Texas Democrat who had
    previously voted against civil rights legislation to become its new
    champion. With skillful charm and ceaseless grit, President Lyndon B.
    Johnson shepherded the Civil Rights Act through the Congress--and on
    July 2, 1964, he signed it into law.
    While laws alone cannot right every wrong, they possess an unmatched
    power to anchor lasting change. The Civil Rights Act threw open the door
    for legislation that strengthened voting rights and established fair
    housing standards for all Americans. Fifty years later, we know our
    country works best when we accept our obligations to one another,
    embrace the belief that our destiny is shared, and draw strength from
    the bonds that hold together the most diverse Nation on Earth.
    As we reflect on the Civil Rights Act and the burst of progress that
    followed, we also acknowledge that our journey is not complete. Today,
    let us resolve to restore the promise of opportunity, defend our fellow
    Americans' sacred right to vote, seek equality in our schools and
    workplaces, and fight injustice wherever it exists. Let us remember that
    victory never comes easily, but with iron wills and common purpose,
    those who love their country can change it.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 2, 2014, as the
    50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. I call upon all Americans to
    observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that
    celebrate this accomplishment and advance civil rights in our time.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
    June, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the

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    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    eighth.
    BARACK OBAMA