A group of about 25 people gathered Friday to witness the unveiling of a commemorative mural as part of a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Pastor Warren Stewart of the First Institutional Baptist Church led a brief program inside the Burton Barr Central Library near Central Avenue and Willetta Street, recognizing muralist Antonio Pasos and others involved in the project.
Organized by the local Civil Rights Act of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration Committee, the program was the first of five events in Phoenix scheduled to mark the historic passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, the historic piece of legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin.
Committee co-chairwoman Lydia Guzman recognized the Civil Rights Act as one of the most important pieces of legislation in recent history, noting, “No other single decision by an American president in the last 50 years has had a greater or more positive impact on the lives of people of color and women in this nation than the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
The mural unveiled Friday shows the faces of important civil rights leaders and activists and depicts historic moments of the civil rights movement, including a burning Freedom Riders bus and portraits of the young victims of the Birmingham, Alabama church bombing in 1963.
Muralist Antonio Pasos said the mural reflects what was happening at that time and accurately captures the essence of the civil rights movement.
Pasos acknowledged Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X as two of his earliest heroes and said he wanted to capture the strong attitudes of both men in his work.
“My hero of the movement, besides Dr. King, was Malcolm X. I wanted to really give him this … really strong and radical kind of attitude that he had,” he said.
Pasos said he felt honored and humbled to be a part of the celebration and to have been given the opportunity to depict important moments of the civil rights movement 50 years after the signing of the Civil Rights Act.
Stewart readdressed the audience before committee co-chairman James Garcia issued closing remarks.
“It is important and significant that people of color in Arizona are leading this 50th anniversary celebration because, first and foremost, it affected African-Americans and then all people of color,” Stewart said.
He added, “It has been a great privilege to work alongside these brothers and sisters who know what it is to be discriminated against simply because of the color of their skin.”
The mural will be on display on the second floor of the Burton Barr library until July 9. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration Committee will be hosting additional events throughout the week to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the signing.
Related events included a multifaith, multiracial and multigenerational worship service and celebration dinner on Sunday and the Civil Rights Act 1964: Golden Arizona Community Celebration Wednesday, July 2 at downtown’s George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center.
Additional information for these events can be found on the committee’s Facebook page.
Contact the reporter at Andrew.Catanzariti@asu.edu
