Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act

Floor Speech

Civil Rights Act of 1964 Commemorative Coin Act

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2040 which is authored by my good friend from the Georgia delegation, Mr. John Lewis.

Almost 44 years ago, the Civil Rights Act was passed into law. The legislation was a long time in coming--in 1957 and 1960 similar legislation had failed to pass Congress, and many attempts were made to derail the bill that was eventually signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964.

However, the period leading up to passage of the Civil Rights Act seemed to happen in the blink of an eye compared to the long and arduous journey we have endured since. Ensuring equality for men and women of every race, creed, and orientation, though fixed in our laws in 1964, was not immediately fixed in the hearts and minds of the American people.

Martin Luther King once said, ``The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.''

So it has been with civil rights in this country. And, just as passage of antidiscrimination legislation did not end social discord in 1964, memorializing the Civil Rights Act on a coin from the U.S. Treasury, as H.R. 2040 proposes, does not mean discrimination has run its course in the United States. More than ever, as the United States struggles with the problem of so many foreign born living in this country, contemplates the idea of a black man or a woman as the President of this country, and negotiates with nations whose religion and morals differ widely from our own, we need to remember the values inherent in the Civil Rights Act.

I commend Mr. Lewis and all the cosponsors for bringing this legislation to the floor and I urge all my colleagues to join us in support of it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source