Speaking Volumes: Books that should be on your essential civil rights reading list

Fifty-five years ago, on July 2, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially went into effect, granting all American citizens equal rights.

This law prohibits racial segregation and gives all American citizens the right to be served in public facilities such as restaurants, hotels and theaters.

It also prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin, better protects all Americans’ right to vote, and introduced the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The 1964 bill was much more significant than its 1957 and 1960 predecessors because it introduced Title III, which could help protect black voters and peaceful protesters from the suppression of their free speech, as outlined in the Constitution, as well as from police brutality.

First proposed by President John F. Kennedy in June 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had to pass through the House of Representatives and the Senate before it could be signed into law.

While trying to fight to get the Civil Rights Act passed, President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. His successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, fought just as hard.

Using Kennedy’s death and fighting those who opposed the bill, President Johnson pushed it forward as a way to honor Kennedy’s memory by passing a bill he fought so hard for.

After passing the House in February 1964, the bill was delayed once more when several Southern senators staged a filibuster to stop its passage.

To get the bill moving again and end the filibuster, a substitute bill was introduced that contained the essence of the bill first passed in the House but somewhat weakened the government’s power to regulate private businesses.

With all of these amendments and changes, the bill gained enough votes to pass the Senate in June 1964.

Finally, with both the House and Senate in agreement, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964.

You can learn more about some of the key figures involved in the Civil Rights Act and the Civil Rights Movement by checking out these biographies:

▪ “Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.: His Life and Crusade in Pictures”

▪ “Rosa Parks: My Story”

▪ “The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy”

▪ “Lyndon Baines Johnson: Our Thirty-Sixth President”

You can go more in-depth into the Civil Rights Movement with such titles as:

▪ “Heroes for Civil Rights”

▪ “The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and The Emergence of Black Power”

▪ “We Shall Overcome: The History of the American Civil Rights Movement”

Looking for something educational to read with your kids this summer? Check out:

▪ “Extraordinary People of the Civil Rights Movement”

▪ “Rosa”

▪ “I See the Promised Land”

▪ “This is the Dream”

Call your local branch for more information on available titles.

▪ Central Library — 941-748-5555;

▪ Braden River — 941-727-6079;

▪ Island — 941-778-6341;

▪ Palmetto — 941-722-3333;

▪ Rocky Bluff — 941-723-4821;

▪ South Manatee — 941-755-3892.

You also can access the library via the internet at mymanatee.org/library.

Sylva Osbourne is the librarian at the Central Library in downtown Bradenton. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.