by Erica Frank

Free at Last?

On America's 188th birthday, we have much to celebrate. Congress and President Johnson have expanded the rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to many people who have faced discrimination and bigotry.

This has been a landmark year for civil rights: In January, the 24th Amendment to the Constitution abolished poll taxes: voting is no longer limited by income. Two days ago, in a ceremony broadcast nationally, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, fulfilling one of Kennedy's campaign promises.

“One hundred eighty-eight years ago this week, a small band of valiant men began a struggle for freedom,” Johnson said. “Yet those who founded America knew that freedom would be secure only if each generation fought to renew and enlarge its meaning.”

Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the famous civil rights activist, is prominently visible right behind President Johnson as he signs the groundbreaking law. Immediately after signing, Johnson turned and shook the Reverend's hand, and gave him one of the pens used to sign the law.

The new law bars many forms of previously legal discrimination. It ends racial segregation of schools and businesses, and ends discrimination in jobs based on race or sex. It also grants equal voting access by requiring that everyone face the same restrictions. This means states and cities may no longer make voting easier for wealthy or white voters.

One of the key passages is:

"All persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of any place of public accommodation, as defined in this section, without discrimination or segregation on the ground of race, color, religion, or national origin."

This means no more "whites only" restaurants and hotels, no more segregated schools or drinking fountains. Even more importantly, no more "whites only" hospitals that leave entire communities without access to health care: until now, less than half the hospitals in the South admitted anyone who wasn't white. People have died from being refused treatment, or from being transferred to the "black" wing of a hospital while in critical condition. These catastrophes will now be illegal; hospitals can focus on providing health care to everyone.

Businesses no longer need to have two sets of facilities, with the expense resulting in one set—invariably, the one reserved for people who aren't white—being of lower quality. I don't know if the "separate but equal" ruling would've stood unchallenged if most businesses actually did provide equal services; the truth in practice has fallen far short of that. The common approach has been, "Provide white people with good service. Everyone else gets whatever we can cobble together out of leftover parts." This has resulted in de facto second-class citizens, who now have the same rights of access as the majority.

De Jure vs. De Facto

Many people are already testing the new law. In some places, integration is going smoothly: Yesterday, in Kansas City, Missouri, a 13-year-old boy got a haircut at the Muehlebach Hotel. Eugene Young had been turned down just one day before, but is now free to go to any barber shop in the nation. However, in other places, would-be patrons are facing resistance or even violence. A restaurant owner in Atlanta, Georgia chased away three Negro ministers with a gun, insisting that his place would stay segregated.

Eugene Young's Haircut
Photo: AP Photofax

While the law prevents race-based restrictions on voting registration, it's not being accepted everywhere. Charles Evers, field secretary for the NAACP, attempted to register to vote in Jackson, Mississippi. He was told he would have to provide proof that he had voted in the previous two general elections. That's a simple way to prevent non-voters from ever becoming voters!

The NAACP and other organizations are asking for federal protection in Mississippi, where segregationists are using threats, physical attacks, and even bombs to prevent new voters from registering. On Thursday, just after the law was signed, two churches used for civil rights activism were destroyed. One was set on fire; a bomb went off in the other. It is possible, of course, that those attacks were just coincidental, and have no direct connection to racist agendas. Possible, but not likely.

Governor Wallace of Alabama gave a speech today in Atlanta, Georgia, calling the law "a fraud, a sham, and a hoax" created by "left-wing liberals" to put people in bondage. He claims that "every American citizen is in jeopardy" of losing "the rights of free men"—by which he apparently means, the right to discriminate against other free men. He doesn't seem to acknowledge that the people protected by this law are also American citizens. Wallace claimed the Supreme Court's recent decisions benefit "criminals, Communists, atheists" and left-wing minority groups. His presidential campaign, he insists, is focused on fighting against the "tyranny" of the "liberal left-wing dogma."

People like Wallace make it clear that the law will not change life in America overnight. It will take some time (and likely police action) for everyone to comply. It will take even longer to undo the differences in income and living conditions caused by segregation. Because of this, many people are dedicating themselves to keep working for equal rights for everyone. In Indianapolis, activists held a 10-mile march for freedom, hoping for a better future for all Americans.

Photo: Indiana Historical Society

The Civil Rights Act brings even broader protections to employees:

"It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer— to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, sex, or national origin…."

This law protects women as well as people of different races and religions. A workplace can no longer insist on hiring only white men, nor to pay them more than other employees. They cannot restrict women to secretarial and janitorial positions. They cannot fire someone because they realize his ancestry isn't what they expected. And they can't relegate some groups of employees to only working at night, or in the back rooms where customers can't see them.

Last year's Equal Pay Act guaranteed equal wages for equal work, but it didn't require that employers hire women at all. Now, they can't refuse to hire a qualified woman to do the job. There's still a long way to go, as most women can't even get bank accounts in their own name, but this is a good start.

A young woman in the Civil Rights march in Washington DC, on August 28th, 1963.
Photo: National Archives

And Justice for All

America isn't perfect; we have our share of short-sighted people, of bigots, of greedy and corrupt politicians. But today, we can celebrate that we are closer to equality and prosperity for everyone, because many people who were held back by force now have the rights to strive for the best future they can create for themselves. And we are all enriched by a nation of hardworking, free-thinking, thriving people who wish to be involved in their communities.

[Come celebrate with us at Portal 55, Galactic Journey's real-time lounge! Talk about your favorite SFF, chat with the Traveler and co., relax, sit a spell…]