Sixty Years Later, and We’re Still Going
This month marked the 60th anniversary of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. This landmark bill outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, religion, sex or national origin. The passage of this law was a huge victory at the time and its impact on the lives of Americans continues to resonate to this day.
Many people think of the “Civil Rights Movement” as one moment in time, almost like a flash, in which a lot of work was done and then we achieved all these great things. But that’s not true — in fact, the victories of the civil rights era in our nation’s history were completely spread out. We had the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and then the Voting Rights Act in 1965, followed by the Civil Rights Act of 1968, which expanded rights for Native Americans and included the Fair Housing Act. Title IX, which outlawed sex discrimination in schools, was passed in 1972, and further expansion of anti-discrimination in housing came in the 80s.
I had the privilege of being a part of the Presidential Leadership Scholars class of 2018 and one of the most instructive moments was visiting the Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) Presidential Library. This experience underscored the fact that the work for equity and inclusion is long and hard and never done. Regardless of your political affiliation, the LBJ library gives us a unique perspective on what it takes to achieve big things through its “LBJ Tapes” exhibit. You can hear LBJ’s private exchanges with leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Roy Wilkins, and others. You hear him firsthand as he struggled with the best way to move a nation forward in light of division and polarization. And while LBJ ultimately decided to champion legislation that set the foundation for many of the freedoms we enjoy today, he also acknowledged that his actions were taken at the expense of his political career. The LBJ library also captures snippets of stories from leaders like you pushing and prodding relentlessly. Those stories remind me that the victories for racial justice do not happen overnight.
We must celebrate the victories when we have them, including remembering important milestones like the 60th birthday of a landmark civil rights legislation. But we should also not gloss over the work that it took to get there, and the work that remains. Once again we are experiencing political and toxic rhetoric, although now the medium has changed to the internet. Once again there are legal actions aimed at silencing those most marginalized, which echo the fight for justice waged by civil rights leaders many decades ago.
Lest we despair, I had the chance to speak at the Global Black Economic Forum earlier this month, as a part of the annual Essence Festival. I was in a room with some of the leading thinkers and doers in the Black community today, and, it goes without saying, that I was incredibly inspired. It was a true honor to be on stage with people like Congressman and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, media players like President of MSNBC Rashida Jones, and corporate leaders like Liliahn Majeed from L’Oreal.
The theme that kept running through all of the conversations was one of resilience. So many of these individuals had persevered through so much. Perseverance, of course, is not unique to the Black community, but at this moment in time, in our nation’s history, there was a collective sense that we had seen all this before.
For example, Robert Smith, the Founder and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, told the story about how many of his family members lost their businesses and livelihoods through the Tulsa massacre. Everything his family had built was burned to the ground. What did they do? Moved to Colorado and started all over.
If we take a truly expansive view of our nation’s history, and not just one that centers the experience of the powerful and the privileged, our story is that of resilience and growth. The attacks against DEI, ESG and racial equity of the past several years are nothing new. We’ve seen worse. We have been able to overcome it all and still create incredible inventions, products, businesses, and communities.
We, as a nation of people marginalized over and over, have been able to achieve so much, again and again. We continue to be resilient in the face of adversity. We continued to push back on the barriers that attempt to hold us back. Richelieu Dennis, the Founder of the Sundial Group of Companies, told his story of creating the global powerhouse of beauty brands. He started it as a street vendor, and then grew it to become a $1.6 billion company. If Dennis can do this with Sundial, who knows what the next massive thing will be. We can achieve so much, despite what’s thrown at us.
Even though we are in a challenging time in our country’s history, we must not forget that part of our resistance is honoring and celebrating the landmark legislation passed 60 years ago. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a reminder that we have weathered uncertainty and overcome. It is a proof point that we have faced adversity and overcome. And it is an admonishment that while we have more work to do, our struggles are molehills compared to the mountains that our predecessors trekked. So if you are tired and sad and afraid please take care of yourself. And then reflect on this milestone and remember that you do not have the right to not fight. We owe too much to too many and we must not only protect what they built but also promulgate the practices that ensure we can all be free.
