50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act
A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME
The National Center for Civil & Human Rights
By Labor & Employment Law Section Chair Benjamin I. Fink
(Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.) and
Labor & Employment Law Section Vice Chair/Chair-Elect Craig Cleland
(Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC)
A
s we all know, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended
segregation in places of public accommodation and
banned employment discrimination on the basis
of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The Civil
Rights Act is considered one of the crowning legislative
achievements of the civil rights movement. It is incredible to
think that only a short 50 years ago, this type of discrimination
was not against the law.
In many ways, Atlanta was the epicenter of the Civil Rights
Movement. The heroic acts of its citizens, students,
educators, and leaders were instrumental in overcoming
segregation and establishing legislative change. Atlanta
has indeed “risen up.” Today, Atlanta is a growing, vibrant,
and diverse community. It was only appropriate that we, as
members of the Atlanta Bar, celebrate the passage of this
historic legislation.
Accordingly, on November 18th at the new National Center
for Civil & Human Rights on Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard, the
Atlanta Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section
held a reception to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the
Civil Rights Act’s enactment. Over 200 people attended the
event. In addition to the many state and federal judges and
justices who attended the event, we were honored to have
The Honorable Kasim Reed, Mayor of the City of Atlanta,
attend and make poignant and inspiring remarks about
the Act, the Civil Rights Movement, Atlanta’s role, and the
people who made it happen. In particular, Mayor Reed
captured the essence of this anniversary by paying tribute
to notable leaders like Dr. King and Ivan Allen as well as to
the many unsung heroes of the Movement. Their courage,
steadfastness, and vision, the Mayor said, not only helped
make the Civil Rights Act a reality, but also “kept Atlanta on
the right side of history.”
10 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
November 2014
The new Civil Rights Center enriched the evening, according
to attorney Chrisna Jones. She found visiting the exhibit with
her 75-year-old sister “a particularly moving experience”
because her sister, who worked in the Albany movement
and in the SNCC, pointed to photos of people “she actually
knew and worked with” and told stories about them, some
“recalled because of the photo before her.”
We are truly blessed to have the Civil Rights Center here
in Atlanta, and there could have been no more appropriate
place at which to hold the celebration. If you have not yet
had a chance to visit the Center, you need to do so. The
tissues available throughout the Center do not go unused.
The event was co-sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia
Labor & Employment Law Section, the Atlanta Chapter of
the Federal Bar Association, the Gate City Bar Association,
the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, the Labor &
Employment Committee of the Young Lawyers Division of
the State Bar of Georgia, the Family Law Section of the
Atlanta Bar Association, NELA-GA, the State Bar Committee
to Promote Inclusion in the Profession, the Stonewall Bar
Association of Georgia, and the Georgia Association of Black
Women Attorneys. This multi-bar event was a great tribute
to this legislation and to all those who made it happen.
We want to especially thank our corporate sponsors for their
generous contributions without whom we could not have
had this event. They are as follows: Platinum: Alston & Bird,
The Buckley Law Firm, King & Spalding, Klein ADR, and
Ogletree Deakins; Gold: Berman Fink Van Horn, Barrett &
Farahany, and Troutman Sanders; Silver: Robbins, Ross,
Alloy, Belinfante, Littlefied, Slappy & Sadd, and DeLong,
Caldwell, Bridgers, Fitzpatrick.
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association