Title
Honoring and celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Body
WHEREAS, On July 2, 1964, the United States Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the United States is thus celebrating the 50th Anniversary of this important law; and
WHEREAS, Following the abolition of slavery, Jim Crow laws protecting segregation and notions of separate but equal in public spaces contributed to deep fissures of inequality of educational, social and economic advantages between otherwise equal citizens; and
WHEREAS, In the mid 20th Century, the Civil Rights Movement began to gain momentum with leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, advocating for a stronger, more thorough equality for African-Americans and other minorities; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement with NAACP President, Cecil B. Moore prominently advocating for equality; and
WHEREAS, The momentum of the Civil Rights Movement spurred the introduction of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, federal legislation enacted to end a number of discriminatory practices in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The provisions of the Act sought to end unequal application of voter registration requirements used to disenfranchise large numbers of minority voters; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also outlawed racial segregation in schools, segregation at the workplace and segregation in public facilities and places while prohibiting state and municipal governments from denying admission to public facilities on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 required the desegregation of public schools and authorized the U.S. Attorney General to enforce this Act by filing suits in United States courts; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination by government agencies that receive funding from the federal government and sought to make it easier for civil rights cases to be moved from state courts with segregationist judges and all-white juries to federal courts with fair, mixed-race juries; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to the support of, and passage of, the Fair Housing Act which included a provision that prohibits discrimination against individuals in the sale and rental of properties; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 established the Community Relations Service, as part of United States Department of Justice, which serves as a peacekeeping force when conflicts in the community arise from race, color, and national origin; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 expanded the powers and jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission—a historically bi-partisan, independent commission that is responsible for investigating civil rights issues and making recommendations concerning these issues that face the entire United States; and
WHEREAS, Passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 reaffirmed the duty, under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, to provide all citizens equal protection under the law and reinvigorated the Fifteenth Amendment's protection of individual voting rights; and
WHEREAS, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a major victory in the Civil Rights Movement in that it provided for greater equality for all individuals under the law and paved the way for future legislation reaffirming the constitutional equal protection; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by the United States Congress.
End