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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Julian Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, a monumental achievement that set our nation on a new path toward greater equality, fairness and justice for all. The Civil Rights Act has had an indelible impact on the lives of millions of Americans, including millions of Hispanic Americans who were included in civil rights legislation for the first time in our nation’s history.
“Today is a day to celebrate a landmark moment in the course of our nation. A dedicated, tireless group of bipartisan policymakers, a courageous president and a slew of communities, led by our African American brothers and sisters, that refused to give up, overcame a small but powerful group of extremists to enact one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, one that reaffirmed and renewed the promise of this great nation,” stated Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR (National Council of La Raza).
“While it is remarkable to witness how far we’ve come in those 50 years, we continue to face challenges as we traverse the road to true equality,” said Murguía. “Today’s discriminatory policies and behaviors may be less evident, but they equally threaten the progress we’ve made. They may exist in the form of housing lenders that treat minority borrowers differently based on their racial or ethnic identity, or schools that relegate poor, minority students to a different standard of learning. They may be laws that make it more difficult for minority communities to vote, or policies that promote bigotry and discrimination under the guise of ‘immigration enforcement.’ NCLR recommits to helping ensure that these policies and practices are sent to the dustbin of history so we can continue, together, to ensure progress for all people.”
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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