Jesse Jackson To Speak at University of Maryland on Civil Rights Act at 40

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. will give the keynote address ("Democratic Leadership and Communities of Color") at a University of Maryland conference marking the 40th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act signed into law July 2, 1964. Then, activists and experts look at the ongoing legal challenges facing the law, as well as its deep legal and social impact. Panelists will discuss the accomplishments and unfinished work in such areas as housing, fair employment, women's rights, voter registration and environmental justice.

Among its accomplishments, the Civil Rights Act effectively ended Jim Crow Era racial discrimination in public accommodations, helped spark feminism by outlawing gender-based job discrimination and became the bedrock for efforts to promote diversity in education, says conference organizer Ronald Walters, director of the University of Maryland's African American Leadership Institute.

"It's hard to overestimate the law's impact, but it now faces severe legal challenges," Walters says. "The U.S. Supreme Court has particularly scaled back its impact in cases involving minority participation in government contracts, political redistricting and university admissions policies." Legislation now before Congress seeks to supplement the original law in order to extend protections and to compensate for unfavorable court decisions, Walters says.

Details

Keynote: Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., founder and president, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition

Panel 1 (political and social experts): Ronald Walters, political scientist, University of Maryland; Francille Wilson, professor, African American studies, University of Maryland; Robert Smith, professor, political science, San Francisco State University; Georgia Sorenson, senior scholar, Academy of Leadership, University of Maryland

Panel 2 (activists): Damu Smith, president, Voices for Peace; William Spriggs, director, Institute for Research and Public Policy, National Urban League; Maya Rockeymore, vice president for research and public policy, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation; Melanie Campbell, executive director, and Diallo Brooks, legislative director, Coalition of Black Civic Participation

When and Where

Wednesday, April 28, University of Maryland, College Park
Keynote Address: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Grand Ballroom, Stamp Student Union
Panel 1: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.; Panel 2: 3 p.m. - 5 p.m., Nyumburu Cultural
Center