Civil Rights Act of 1964: What to know about landmark legislation
AUSTIN, Texas - President Joe Biden’s visit to Austin underscored the lasting impact of one of the most significant pieces of legislation in American history that was passed 60 years ago this month.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, religion or sex, and barred segregation in public schools.
"I was born in 1958, in Georgia. I know what it means. I saw people celebrate because they fought for it," said NAACP President Nelson Linder.
FOX 7 spoke with Linder on Monday morning, before he headed to the LBJ Library to see Biden’s speech in person.
"It’s about history, it’s about the present. It's about what we learn from those experiences," said Linder.
Linder says LBJ had a unique opportunity to change the course of history with the stroke of a pen, and he took it.
"I think it was a godsend. He was a southern guy. He had the guts, the courage. He understood the culture," said Linder. "The one guy who could do it and get away with it politically, got it done."
The Civil Rights Act had a major impact on segregated cities like Austin.
"One of the things that did is it allowed people like me and others to work in our city government, state government," said Linder. "The fact that doors were opened and a lot of folks went through those doors, more physicians, more business people, more teachers. Those things are absolutely profound."
"This is a proud legacy, that a Texan president paved the way for these protections," said Ricardo Martinez of Equality Texas.
Martinez says the legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is still evolving, pointing to a 2020 Supreme Court decision.
"The U.S. Supreme Court said in a decision that the leverage of the Civil Rights Act prevented employers from discriminating against LGBTQIA+ people," said Martinez. "Since Texas doesn't have protections for LGBTQIA+ people at the state level, those regulations are the only legal protections for some queer Texans have against discrimination."
Advocates acknowledge tremendous progress has been made in 60 years, but say the fight against discrimination and towards equality is far from over.
"The majority of Texans believe that discrimination against our community is wrong. And we need these folks to really take a step-up," said Martinez.
"It’s never a permanent thing. We have got to fight continuously to ensure that the law is enforced," said Linder. "Otherwise, we have this conversation another 60 years."