Image via WikipediaBy Guest Blogger Patrick Cokley, Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
Today is the Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (CRA 64).
The passing of this groundbreaking legislation still exists in the living memory of many Americans. Our society continues to be steeped in the ramifications of Jim Crow segregation and the impacts of “separate but equal,” but because of CRA 64, separate lunch counters and Whites Only bathrooms have become history.
As a student of the American policy-making process, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is what I would call one of two gold standards in my personal civil rights, the other being the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Being an African American and a person with a disability, there are few things that affect me more with regard to my personal civil rights in my day to day life.
Like most Americans, I base my concept of hardships on what is happening in my time and place in history, and compare them with the past. That being said – I had to wonder…in a policy grudge match between the ADA and CRA 64, taking place in the Freedom Ring of Constitution Hall in front of spectators, fans and representatives from the ACLU, which would come out the victor? I couldn’t resist the opportunity to play out in writing what that battle might look like.
Now before the two contenders even step into the ring, there is an obvious age difference. CRA 64 was developed in a time where breaking down segregationist barriers was a day to day struggle. Though there had been a significant series of prior civil rights acts, in many ways the methods that CRA 64 created were untested. The passing of CRA 64 formed a brand new America, and thus CRA has the advantage of years of experience. By contrast, the ADA had the benefits of all of the legislation that came before it – the Architectural Barriers Act, the Voting Rights Acts, the Rehabilitation Act, as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So it had the prior knowledge these acts brought - the “training,” if you will.
For those of you who do not carry a copy of the text of CRA 64 or the ADA in your wallet (or written on your heart), here is a quick rundown of their stats:
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