WASHINGTON, DC – House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the 55th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 being signed into law:   “I join in marking the fifty-fifth anniversary of the signing of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, which banned discrimination based on race in education, employment, and public accommodation.  Though it put a legal end to segregation, the law was a waypoint and not an end point.  So too were the Voting Rights Act the following year and the Fair Housing Act in 1968.  Together, these three laws laid the legal foundation for the effort that we continue today to stamp out the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation by working to end in practice what used to be enforced as law. 

“However, in 2019, America’s cities remain segregated; disparities continue in education and housing; certain groups are still prevented from exercising the right to vote.  It is up to us to build on the legacy of the Civil Rights Act and other legislation and follow the example of those who brought them to fruition, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rep. John Lewis, Dorothy Height, and others.  That is why House Democrats are working to advance legislation to restore the Voting Rights Act and expand opportunity for all Americans. I look forward to continue working with Rep. Lewis and with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus to fight for justice, equality, and for all to have their voices heard in our democracy and to stand up for civil rights in the twenty-first century.”