WHEN MORALITY AND POLITICS MEET

This year, on July 2, 2014, we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This is a historic event and an achievement that should be commemorated with great pride, humility and deference for the brave men and women whose blood and tears watered the soil of our nation’s democracy.

Oftentimes, when we look back in celebration of the Civil Rights Act, we focus on the heroism, leadership, vision and selflessness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King’s contributions were unparalleled. But, it is often heralded that victory has many fathers. That is especially true when we look back upon the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This feat would not have possible without the contributions of many great men and women, Black and White, Democrat and Republican, whose names are not heralded by history.

Growing up in the Jim Crow South, his political career depended on his understanding of and respect for convention. His campaign to end discrimination defied conventional wisdom. Because he was from the South, he was believed to be inherently racist, like many of his mentors. But, President Johnson had a servant’s heart. His first job after college was as a school teacher in a school attending by Mexican children and in a city that was stricken by poverty. This experience awakened in him a strong belief that helping minorities would benefit all Americans, spiritually and economically.

During a time when the nation was deeply divided and racism served as the nation’s deadliest act of terrorism, it required herculean efforts to choose the side of morality.

During his first 20 years in Congress, he opposed civil rights legislation, because the political machine that sent him to Washington was powered by the wealth and power of Southern racism. But as President Johnson watched the foundation of this great nation disintegrated by the grief and anger that resulted from southern horrors, such as lynching, the brutal murder of the four little girls killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the devastating assassination of President Kennedy and the mayhem know as Bloody Sunday, he could no longer ignore his moral an spiritual duty to do what his spiritual and moral conscience required: to do good, seek justice and relieve the oppressed.

50 years ago, when he succeeded in his mission, we were fighting for the right to vote, for economic opportunity, financial security for our retired seniors and health care for the poor. It is almost unbelievable that we are fighting for the same rights today. We cannot be complacent and revel in victory. We have to remain vigilante to ensure that we do not travel backwards.

Just as it is true that in the 1960’s, our nation was marked by moments of crises: war, poverty and mass social injustice; today, we find ourselves in a comparable state. We met the challenges then. It is time we rise to that challenge once more.

Despite the current climate, when it seems hopeless, when it is especially risky to challenge racism and sexism; and when it appears that we are fighting a lost cause, we must remember that it is patriotic duty to continue the fight. We must fight to honor the legacy of those that fought for us. It is time for elected officials and community leaders to fulfill our duty as soldiers for justice. It is time for you, as citizens, to fulfill your duties by voting.

I will leave you with the words President Johnson spoke in December of 1971, during his final public address: “We have proved that great progress is possible. We know how much still remains to be done. And if our efforts continue, and if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and if courage remains our constant companion, then, my fellow Americans, I am confident, we shall overcome.”