Statement of Mayor de Blasio on The 50th Anniversary of The Signing of the Civil Rights Act Into Law

July 2, 2014

“The story of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a story of perseverance. Today, we celebrate the activists who faced down fire hoses, attack dogs, and the threat of death itself in order to rouse the nation’s conscience. We celebrate those who forced Congress to act. We celebrate the brave lawmakers who shepherded the Act through fierce resistance, including Senator Jacob Javits and Representative Emanuel Celler, both from New York City. And we celebrate the generations of Americans whose quiet sacrifices laid the groundwork for a victory they would never see.

“Now history looks to us. Today, 50 years after the Act became law, there is still work to be done. We must, as President Lyndon Johnson said at the signing of the bill, ‘eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in our beloved country.’ New Yorkers have always been at the vanguard of the Civil Rights Movement, and I know we will once again rise to the challenge before us.”