Isabel Wilkerson Instagram – On this day 60 years ago, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law, overturning Jim Crow and prohibiting segregation in schools, in public facilities, in voting. Far beyond only protecting the primary targets of Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Act banned discrimination in employment — not only by race but by gender, religion and national origin, thus extending new rights to far more Americans than those who had led the fight for it.
We have come to take this law for granted and to presume that it is etched in stone. But, in the 248-year history of the United States, this is a relatively new protection that went into force within the lifespan of many people who walk among us now. The rights it confers have been in effect for far less time than they were not. And, as we witness the divisions all around us, it is sobering to wonder whether this law could have passed in the current climate we face today. May we always recognize and honor the hard-fought gains we have inherited. | Posted on 03/Jul/2024 01:48:35
