Presidential Document2024-15027
60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 8, 2024
Signed
July 1, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 130 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55883-55884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15027]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 130 / Monday, July 8, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 55883]]
Proclamation 10781 of July 1, 2024
60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Sixty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed
into law one of the most significant pieces of civil
rights legislation in history--the Civil Rights Act of
1964. It prohibited discrimination on the basis of
race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. That
day, our Nation moved closer to our North Star, the
founding ideal of America: We are all created equal and
deserve to be treated equally throughout our lives. We
have never fully lived up to that idea, but we have
never walked away from it either. On this anniversary,
we promise we will not walk away from it now.
On July 2, 1964, when President Johnson signed the
Civil Rights Act, a crowd gathered behind him. Among
them were some of the Black leaders and activists who
had led the movement that made it possible: Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., A. Philip Randolph, Dr. Dorothy
Height, and others, who had fought, protested, and
prayed for this moment. It was the work of changemakers
like them--from the countless protests, sit-ins, and
marches they organized to the many speeches and sermons
they gave--and the courageous activism and
participation of everyday Americans that brought the
bill to President Johnson's desk. It was an answer to
President John F. Kennedy's call for national action to
guarantee the equal treatment of every American
regardless of race. Change only rippled out from there:
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also helped set the
foundation for other critical legislation like the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The legacies of those activists and extraordinary
Americans have had a profound impact on me and others
of my generation. It inspired me to become a public
defender and then a county councilman, working to
change our State's politics to embrace the cause of
civil rights. Their efforts made us fundamentally
better as Americans, opening the doors of opportunity
wider and bringing our Nation closer to its promise of
liberty, equality, and justice for all.
Despite this critical step forward, securing our civil
rights remains the unfinished fight of our time. Our
country is still facing attacks to some of our most
fundamental civil liberties and rights, including the
right to vote and have that vote counted and the right
to live free from the threat of violence, hate, and
discrimination. That is why my Administration is
remaining vigilant--fighting actively to protect the
rights of every American. I signed the Electoral Count
Reform Act to protect the will of the people and the
peaceful transfer of power. I appointed Justice Ketanji
Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to be on the
Supreme Court, and have appointed more Black women to
the Federal appellate court than every other President
in history.
We are also working to reverse the shameful legacy of
segregation in our country and creating new
opportunities for every American to thrive. My
Administration is investing more money than ever in
Black families and Black communities. We are
reconnecting historic business districts and
neighborhoods cut off by old highways, redlining, and
decades of discrimination and disinvestment. We have
invested over $16 billion in Historically Black
Colleges and Universities, which will help raise the
next generation of
[[Page 55884]]
Black leaders. At the same time, we are creating good-
paying jobs that people can raise a family on; making
capital and loans for starting small businesses and
buying homes more accessible; and making health
insurance and prescription drugs more affordable. I
also signed the boldest policing reform Executive Order
in history. My Administration is changing our Nation's
failed approach to marijuana, which disproportionately
impacts communities of color. I have used executive
clemency more than any recent President at this point
in my Presidency in pursuit of justice and fairness.
And I continue to call on the Congress to pass the John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to
Vote Act--it is the only way to fully secure the sacred
right to vote.
On this anniversary, may we recommit to continuing the
work that the Civil Rights Act began six decades ago--
it is still the task of our time to build a democracy
where every American is treated with dignity and has an
equal opportunity to follow their dreams. We must
continue to move forward together, stand with one
another, and choose democracy over autocracy and
beloved community over chaos. We must choose to be
believers, dreamers, and doers.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 2, 2024,
as the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. I call
upon all Americans to observe this day with programs,
ceremonies, and activities that celebrate this
accomplishment and advance civil rights in our time.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand
twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-15027
Filed 7-5-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 8, 2024.
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