Washington, DC – DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement today on the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act:

“Freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin – it is a concept that seems inherent to a nation founded by declaring that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”

“But it wasn’t until fifty years ago, with President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that this thoroughly American ideal came closer to reality when it was codified into law.

“Today’s anniversary of the Civil Rights Act is a reminder that equal protection under the law has not been self-evident, but instead a struggle for which each generation has had to fight. The civil rights leaders of the 1950s and 60s, including those who participated in Freedom Summer fifty years ago, endured unthinkable adversity for having the courage to seek the rights with which each of us is endowed. Each subsequent victory over the last five decades is a byproduct of their hardships, and for that we are eternally grateful.

“It is because of their success that today’s anniversary is less a celebration than a call to action.  The Democratic Party is committed to ensuring the creation of a more perfect union by extending rights to those who are still excluded.

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 followed in the spirit of the Civil Rights Act, but Congressional action is required to restore the protections negated by last year’s Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder. And despite President Obama’s recent executive action announcement, many American workers still lack protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.

“President Johnson made the case for passage of the Civil Rights Act by invoking his predecessor, “No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy's memory than the earliest possible passage of the civil rights bill for which he fought so long.” Today, the Democratic Party believes there is no more fitting way to honor those who helped pass the Civil Rights Act than by extending its promise to all Americans.”