Arizona residents gathered downtown Wednesday night to celebrate the history and future of civil rights in Phoenix at the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration.
“Attitudes don’t necessarily change because laws change, and that is where we are today,” said speaker Dr. Matthew Whitaker, the ASU Foundation professor of history and founding director of ASU’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. “Despite how far we’ve come … that is an indication of how far we have to go.”
The event, organized by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Golden Anniversary Celebration Committee, was held at downtown’s George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center and featured speakers and announcements made by the city of Phoenix and the state.
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton announced to the crowd a proclamation made by the Phoenix City Council that recognizes July 2, 1964 as the official Civil Rights Day in Arizona.
“It is important that we celebrate here tonight,” Stanton said. “We have a great civil rights history in the state of Arizona.”
Stanton acknowledged that the civil rights movement has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go.
The proclamation signed by Gov. Jan Brewer, who was not present at the event, recognized the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, noting that the act was “rooted in the fundamental idea that all people are created equal.”
Signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a historic piece of legislation that outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin.
Presiding Judge for Glendale City Court Elizabeth Finn discussed the history of civil rights in Arizona, noting that Arizona schools were desegregated in 1953, a short time before the groundbreaking Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
Finn displayed signs from the 1940s and 1950s that were commonly displayed in Arizona shops and restaurant windows that said, “We reserve the right to refuse service based on race, creed or color.” She said business owners also refrained from serving Jewish and Hispanic minorities, and in 1952 racial desegregation in pubic accommodations was outlawed.
“The 1964 Civil Rights Act was a watershed moment in the history of the United States,” said Dr. C.T. Wright, founder and chairman of The Light of Hope Institute and former president of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania.
Wright said while things have changed, there are still problems such as economic disparity, and added that not all schools seem fully integrated, urging the audience to “march on until victory is won.”
“It wasn’t that long ago,” said Celebration Committee member James Garcia, when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “turned American society completely upside down.”
The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, where the celebration was held, was once a segregated school for African Americans. The school was turned into a museum that “honors African & African American Heritage, Arts & Culture,” according to their website.
Wednesday’s celebration was the culmination of a week of events organized by the Celebration Committee, including the unveiling of a commemorative mural at Burton Barr Central Library, a multifaith worship service and a celebration dinner.
Contact the reporter at Samantha.Shotzbarger@asu.edu
