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While many marched in the streets, sat-in at lunch counters, and refused to ride in the back of the bus, LCCR coordinated the campaign to make simple justice the law of the land. The Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 - all were pushed to passage with the help of LCCR and the coalition it mustered and mobilized.
These laws are the living legacy of the most successful peaceful revolution in human history. Now, discrimination is illegal in education, employment, housing, voting, public accommodations, and access to all Federal programs.
Some of our recent victories have involved new approaches to our historic goals, while others have addressed new challenges. They include:
- strengthened provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act (a re-authorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act), providing high standards for all students and holding school officials accountable for student progress;
- contributing to the first-ever White House Conference on Hate Crimes and working to strengthen federal legislation in this area;
- gaining the largest increase in funding for civil rights enforcement in two decades;
- ensuring adequate funding for the 2000 census and defeating efforts to prohibit scientific sampling techniques;
- advocating for a qualified and diverse federal judiciary;
- defeating efforts to repeal provisions of the National Voter Registration Act;
- thwarting efforts to enact English-only provisions;
- helping to defeat the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1998; preserving the Fair Housing and the Community Reinvestment Acts;
- helping to ensure strong regulations to enforce the transportation provisions of the ADA;
- defeating the Violent and Repeat Offender Act;
- and gaining justice for black farmers to allow them to proceed with their discrimination complaints.
Among our other victories:
- With bipartisan support, Congress extended the Voting Rights Act in 1982. And the cause of full participation in the political process was also advanced with the passage of the Voting Rights Language Assistance Act in 1992 and Motor Voter in 1993.
- Another landmark law of the 1960s was strengthened in 1988, when Congress passed the Fair Housing Amendments Act. At last, this put a strong enforcement mechanism in place and extended the law's protections to persons with disabilities and families with children.
- Congress strengthened the nation's efforts against discrimination in employment with provisions of the Economic Equity Act, designed to eliminate gender bias in key economic areas.
- Overturning two Supreme Court decisions, Congress passed the Civil Rights Restoration Act in 1988 affirming the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and related statutes and prohibitions against discrimination in institutions that receive federal funds.
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