CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964
Lyndon Johnson signing Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964
July 2, 2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed into law by Texan and then-President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act prohibits discrimination in public places, provides for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and makes employment discrimination illegal.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Gov. Rick Perry issued a proclamation commending the Texas Workforce Commission’s (TWC) Civil Rights Division (CRD), which is tasked with enforcing employment and housing discrimination laws.
“Fifty years ago, President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibiting discrimination in the workforce based on an individual’s race, color, religion, sex or national origin,” Gov. Perry said in his proclamation. “Building upon this foundation, the Texas Legislature later passed the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, codifying our state’s commitment to protect the public from employment discrimination. In the years since, the Texas Commission on Human Rights and Texas Workforce Commission’s Civil Rights Division have worked diligently to ensure equal employment opportunities for all Texans.”
Commissioner Thomas M. Anderson, chair of the Texas Commission on Human Rights (TCHR), the oversight board of the Civil Rights Division at TWC, echoed Gov. Perry’s sentiment:
“The Civil Rights Act of 1964 grants all Americans the right to live and work in this country without being subject to discrimination. In Texas, TCHR is committed to enforcing federal laws, as well as state laws, including the Texas Fair Housing Act and the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, to ensure that our citizens’ fair housing and employment rights are not violated.”
TCHR is comprised of seven members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Its members are: Chair Anderson, Toni R. Glover, Veronica V. Stidvent, Michelle H. Diggs, Sharon Breckenridge Thomas, Shara Michalka and Danny L. Osterhout.
Individuals who believe they have been subject to employment discrimination can learn about how to file an employment discrimination complaint by visiting TWC online at www.texasworkforce.org/crd/file_emp.html.
Individuals can learn more about housing discrimination by www.texasworkforce.org/crd/victim_housediscrim.html. CRD offers training to employers and housing providers with the goal of preventing and eliminating unlawful civil rights discrimination. Individuals, employers and housing providers may contact TWC’s CRD toll free at 888-452-4778.
