house resolution no.130

Reps. Love, Neeley, Whitsett, Tate, Peterson, Jones, Bolden, Anthony, Garrett, Guerra, Manoogian, Brenda Carter, Robinson, Byrd, Yancey, Garza, Cynthia Johnson, Brann, Paquette, O'Malley, Bellino, Slagh and Hope offered the following resolution:

A resolution to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Whereas, 2019 marks the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in our nation's history. It opened the door for legislation that strengthened voting rights and established fair housing standards for all Americans; and

Whereas, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the result of decades of struggle and sacrifice of many Americans who fought for equality and justice. A civil rights movement developed to achieve the goal of equal rights for all Americans and a broad coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations created national support for civil rights legislation. Many Americans sacrificed their lives in the fight against racial and social injustice while working to guarantee the rights of every citizen of the United States and generations of Americans of every background supported legislation to eliminate discrimination; and

Whereas, The United States Senate passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on June 19, 1964, and the United States House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill into law on July 2, 1964. This historic legislation dismantled legal racial segregation and set a benchmark standard for civil rights protection across all states. It also helped bring an end to the Jim Crow era, banning discrimination in public places, prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and providing an enforcement mechanism for the integration of schools; and

Whereas, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited the use of federal funds in a discriminatory fashion, barred unequal application of voter registration requirements, encouraged the desegregation of public schools and authorized the United States Attorney General to file suits to force desegregation, banned discrimination in hotels, motels, restaurants, theaters, and all other places of public accommodations engaged in interstate commerce, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and

Whereas, We applaud those whose support and efforts led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and be it further

Resolved, That we reaffirm Michigan's commitment to the principles of justice and equality.