I woke up this morning expecting to be inundated with memories and reflections of the 1964 Civil Rights Act on its 50th Anniversary. Last night there was a great piece on CBS Evening News with former White House Aid Clifford Alexander, and, as he said, he was “the only African American on the staff at the time.” I was hoping to be greeted by similar stories this morning through my morning news – NPR and the Washington Post (no TV) and was disappointed when neither mentioned this historic occasion. I even flipped through the front section of the Washington Post and there was nothing. However, one story, that jumped out was about Michelle Howard. She just became the first female four-star admiral and first African American to become the Navy’s vice chief of naval operations, the number two person at the Navy. So while I didn’t see news of LBJ signing the Civil Rights Act, the impact of that historic legislation is reflected within the news of the day. I imagine (and hope) that there will be more stories later in the day.
For history junkies like me there is always C-Span, and particularly C-Span 3, which has treated viewers with all sorts of archival treasures in the days leading up to this historic 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Six Degrees of Millicent 