Next Wednesday we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is a historic event and achievement that should be commemorated with great pride, humility and deference for the brave men and women whose blood and tears watered the soil of our nation’s democracy.
This legislative feat would not have been possible without the contributions of many great men and women, black and white, Democrat and Republican, whose names are not heralded by history.
Growing up in the Jim Crow era, Lyndon Johnson had a political career that depended on his understanding of and respect for convention. His campaign to end discrimination defied conventional wisdom. Because he was from the South, he was believed to be inherently racist, like so many of his mentors.
But Johnson had a servant’s heart. His first job after college was as a teacher in a school attended by Hispanic children and in a town stricken by poverty. This experience awakened in him a strong belief that helping minorities would benefit all Americans, spiritually and economically.
During a time when the nation was deeply divided and racism served as our deadliest act of terrorism, herculean efforts were required to choose the side of morality.
During his first 20 years in Congress, Johnson opposed civil rights legislation because the political machine that sent him to Washington was powered by the wealth and power of Southern racism. But as Johnson watched the foundation of this great nation disintegrate through the grief and anger resulting from Southern horrors such as lynching; the brutal murder of four little girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing; the devastating assassination of President John F. Kennedy; and the mayhem known as Bloody Sunday, he could no longer ignore his moral and spiritual duty to do what his spiritual and moral conscience demanded.
Fifty years ago, when he succeeded in his mission, we were fighting for the right to vote, for economic opportunity, financial security for our retired seniors and health care for the poor. It is almost unbelievable that we are fighting for the same rights today. We cannot be complacent and revel in victory. We have to remain vigilant to ensure that we do not travel backward.
In the 1960s, our nation was marked by moments of crisis: war, poverty and mass social injustice; today we find ourselves in a comparable state. We met the challenges then. It is time we rise to that challenge once more.
Despite the current climate, when it seems hopeless, when it is especially risky to challenge racism and sexism, when it appears that we are fighting a lost cause, we must remember that it is patriotic duty to continue the fight. We must fight to honor the legacy of those who fought for us. It is time for elected officials and community leaders to fulfill our duty as soldiers for justice. It is time for you, as citizens, to fulfill your duties by voting.
I will leave you with the words President Johnson spoke in December 1971, during his final public address: “We have proved that great progress is possible. We know how much still remains to be done. And if our efforts continue, and if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and if courage remains our constant companion, then, my fellow Americans, I am confident we shall overcome.”
Source: Waco Tribune
