 |
“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
Pelosi: Civil Rights Act of 1964 Another Step in America’s ‘Unending Search for Justice’
Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on tomorrow's 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964:
"Forty years ago, America took one of its greatest steps toward fulfilling the ideals of equality, opportunity, and justice that we cherish as a nation. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 could not be any more clear: ‘all persons’ regardless of ‘race, color, religion, sex, or national origin’ shall be free from ‘discrimination or segregation of any kind.’
"When he signed the Civil Rights Act into law, President Lyndon Johnson called it another step in America’s ‘unending search for justice’ and ‘a challenge to all of us . . . to eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country.’
"On this anniversary, we honor the heroes who issued that challenge to the conscience of our country. We honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Fannie Lou Hamer, my colleague John Lewis, and all the patriots who fought injustice through the years -- from the plaintiffs of Brown vs. Board of Education to the marchers who endured the police dogs and fire hoses to the freedom riders of the 1964 Freedom Summer who dared to register a new generation of African-American voters.
"And we honor courageous souls who gave their lives to tear down the walls of segregation and build up a new America, including the three young activists -- James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman -- whose tragic deaths caused a national outcry that sped passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Forty years later, the heroes of Freedom Summer and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are an inspiration to us all and a reminder of the need to do what is right, even when it is not popular. We must meet the ‘challenge to all of us’ of which President Johnson spoke.
"We must cherish and celebrate the contributions of every American, regardless of ‘race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.’
"We must ensure equality and opportunity for all in every corner of American life, from our schools to our workplaces.
"And we must protect the right to vote against any attempt to undermine the Voting Rights Act. Every vote counts, and every vote must be counted.
"President John F. Kennedy told the American people in June of 1963 when he proposed this legislation that ‘the time has come for this Nation to fulfill its promise.’ On this fortieth anniversary, we remember the moment our nation finally began to fulfill that promise of equality to all its citizens. And we commit ourselves anew to the ‘unending search for justice’ in America."
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
