Articles

Good morning.

Today, we commemorate one of the most significant pieces of legislation in our history and honor two of our world’s greatest leaders.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson personified the principles on which our nation was founded.

These servant leaders committed their lives to moving America closer to what it could become.

Because of Dr. King and President Johnson, I stand here today as the third African American and second woman to represent the 11^th district of Ohio. I also join you as the 43^rd Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

You see, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 did more than help end discrimination in America.

The Civil Rights Act established that legal discrimination would no longer limit what one could achieve; but that achievement could solely be determined by the places one’s ability and ambition would take them.

The Civil Rights Act also clarified the difference between all men being created equal and all men receiving equal treatment.

The Constitution established one as principle; the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the other as practice, giving a generation of Americans hope that they too could be acknowledged as full citizens of this nation.

This is the true path to freedom the Civil Rights Movement helped pave in America.

As President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, he stated that America’s founders knew freedom would only be secure if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning.

With the Civil Rights Act and his many other great works, President Johnson did his duty to protect our freedom.  With his words and the sacrifice of his life, Dr. King did the same.

Today, that responsibility lies with each of us in this hall and watching at home. 

The Civil Rights Movement and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 established equal opportunity and equal protection and under the law for every American, but we have the responsibility to work together and protect it.

The time is always right to do what is right.

Our time is now.

We must do the work necessary to ensure freedom, equality and equal protection under the law, including the unadulterated right to vote, remains true for us all. 

And now, please direct your attention to the screens as we watch a special video of President Johnson and the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.