Women march during the Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 After 60 Years: Challenges and Questions for Voters and the Nation in 2024

Sixty years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and signed into law after a long moral and political struggle. This act fundamentally changed the United States, enacting legal protections against racial discrimination, prohibiting discrimination in public places, integrating schools and other public facilities, and making employment discrimination illegal. Catholic and other religious communities played key roles in this effort, which offered hope to people who had been excluded from opportunities in education, housing, and employment simply based on race, color, or national origin. 

These are not abstract or historical issues. As Pope Francis has said, “Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding and lurks in waiting. Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.” For Catholics and others of goodwill, we are called to examine our history and act now to defend the lives and dignity of all our sisters and brothers. After 60 years, what has changed and what has not? How has racial discrimination been overcome, and where and how does it continue? In particular, what are the key racial justice issues facing voters, parties, and candidates as we choose a future for our nation this November?

This Public Dialogue with four respected leaders will explore how this history shapes our current choices and how faith calls us to advance the common good through a principled and active commitment to resist racism and ensure that we continue to honor and protect the essential freedoms that the Civil Rights Act enacted for all Americans 60 years ago.

Participants

  • Sr. Cora Marie Billings, RSM, is a Sister of Mercy in Merion, Pennsylvania, and was the first Black member of the Philadelphia community. She led the Diocese of Richmond’s Office for Black Catholics for 25 years. Her great-grandfather was enslaved by the Jesuits at Georgetown University.
  • Kessley Janvier (C’25) is a rising senior at Georgetown University majoring in history. She serves as the vice president of Georgetown’s Black Student Alliance and the Georgetown chapter of the NAACP.
  • Diann Rust-Tierney is the executive director of the Racial Justice Institute at Georgetown University. She is the former executive director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and former legislative council at the American Civil Liberties Union.
  • Rev. Jim Wallis is the inaugural Chair in Faith and Justice and leader of the Center on Faith and Justice in the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. He is the author of multiple books, including The False White Gospel (2024).
  • Kimberly Mazyck, associate director of the Initiative, will moderate the discussion.

Accessibility and Accommodations

For those who cannot join us in person, the dialogue starting at 7:00 pm EDT will be livestreamed and posted online for later viewing.

All in-person accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by May 31. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.