60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, 55883-55884 [2024-15027]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[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 [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15027]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 130 / Monday, July 8, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

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.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-15027
Filed 7-5-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P