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August 20th, 1619, Twenty Africans arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, aboard a dutch ship. They were the first blacks to be Forcibly settled as involvolutionary laborers in the North American British colonies.

1641: Massachusetts was the first country to legalize slavery by statue.

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January 5. The Ohio legislature passed "Black Laws" designed to restrict the legal rights of free blacks. These laws were part of the trend to increasingly severe restrictions on all blacks in both North and South before the Civil War.January 1. The federal law prohibiting the importation of African slaves went into effect. It was largely circumvented.April 9. The African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at the first independent black denomination in the United States.August 18. General Andrew Jackson defeated a force of Native Americans and African-Americans to end the First Seminole War.May 30. The Denmark Vesey conspiracy was betrayed in Charleston, South Carolina. It is claimed that some 5,000 blacks were prepared to rise in July.September. David Walker's militant antislavery pamphlet, An Appeal to the Colored People of the World, was in circulation in the South. This work was the first of its kind by a black.
September 20-24. The first National Negro Convention met in Philadelphia.
August 21-22. The Nat Turner revolt ran its course in Southampton County, Virginia.July. The slaves carried on the Spanish ship, Amistad, took over the vessel and sailed it to Montauk on Long Island. They eventually won their freedom in a case taken to the Supreme Court.July. Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery. She would return South at least twenty times, leading over 300 slaves to freedom.January 1. Ashmum Institute, the precursor of Lincoln University, was chartered at Oxford, Pennsylvania. March 6. The Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court denied that blacks were citizens of the United States and denied the power of Congress to restrict slavery in any federal territory.August 23. James Stone of Ohio enlisted to become the first black to fight for the Union during the Civil War. He was very light skinned and was married to a white woman. His racial identity was revealed after his death in 1862.July 17. Congress allowed the enlistment of blacks in the Union Army. Some black units precede this date, but they were disbanded as unofficial. Some 186,000 blacks served; of these 38,000 died.January 1. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in states in rebellion against the United States.December 18. The Thirteenth Amendment, outlawing slavery, was passed by Congress. Edward G. Walker and Charles L. Mitchell were the first blacks to sit in an American legislature, that of Massachusetts.July 6. The South Carolina House became the first and only legislature to have a black majority, 87 blacks to 40 whites. Whites did continue to control the Senate and became a majority in the House in 1874.
July 28. The Fourteenth Amendment was passed. It made blacks citizens of the United States.
March 30. The Fifteenth Amendment, which outlawed the denial of the right to vote, was ratified.March 1. Congress passed a Civil Rights Bill which banned discrimination in places of public accommodation. The Supreme Court overturned the bill in 1883. 1881.
Tennessee passed a law requiring segregation in railroad cars. By 1907 all Southern states had passed similar laws.
September 18. Booker T. Washington delivered the "Atlanta Compromise" speech at the Cotton States International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia.May 18. In Plessy v. Ferguson the Supreme Court give legal backing to the concept of separate but equal public facilities for blacks.
July 11-13. W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter were among the leaders of the meeting from which sprung the Niagara Movement, the forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.April. The National Urban League was established.September 27. W. C. Handy published "Memphis Blues."September 9. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.February 19-21. The First Pan-African Congress met in Paris, France, under the guidance of W. E. B. Du Bois.August 1-2. The national convention of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Society met in New York City. Garvey would be charged with mail fraud in 1923. He was convicted in 1925 and deported in 1927 after serving time in prison. These are the years usually assigned to the Harlem Renaissance, which marks an epoch in black literature and art.May 8. A. Philip Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.April 6. Nine young blacks were accused of raping two white women in a boxcar. They were tried for their lives in Scottsboro, Alabama, and hastily convicted. The case attracted national attention.August 9. Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Berlin.June 22. Joe Louis defeated James J. Braddock to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world.October 16. Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., became the first black general in the United States Army.June 25. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order forbidding discrimination in defense industries after pressure from blacks led by A. Philip Randolph.June. Some blacks and whites organized the Congress of Racial Equality in Chicago. They led a sit-in at a Chicago restaurant.April 24. The United Negro College Fund was founded.April 19. Jackie Robinson became the first black to play major league baseball.September 22. Ralph J. Bunche won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a mediator in Palestine. After keeping statistics kept for 71 years, Tuskegee reported that this was first year with no lynchings.May 17. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court completed overturning legal school segregation at all levels.December 1. Rosa Parks refused to change seats in a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. On December 5 blacks began a boycott of the bus system which continued until shortly after December 13, 1956, when the United States Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation in the city.February 14. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed with Martin Luther King, Jr., as president.

August 29. Congress passed the Voting Rights Bill of 1957, the first major civil rights legislation in more than 75 years.
February 1. Sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, initiated a wave of similar protests throughout the South.
April 15-17. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina.
April 3. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., blacks began a campaign against discrimination in Birmingham.
June-August. Civil rights protests took place in most major urban areas.

August 28. The March on Washington was the largest civil rights demonstration ever. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
January 23. The Twenty-fourth Amendment forbade the use of the poll tax to prevent voting.
March 12. Malcolm X announced his split from Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam. He would be assassinated on February 21, 1965.

July 18-August 30. Beginning in Harlem, serious racial disturbances occurred in more than six major cities.
January 2. The SCLC launched a voter drive in Selma, Alabama. which escalated into a nationwide protest movement.
August 11-21. The Watts riots left 34 dead, more than 3,500 arrested, and property damage of about 225 million dollars.
July 1-9. CORE endorsed the concept "Black Power." SNCC also adopted it. SCLC did not and the NAACP emphatically did not.
October. The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California.
May 1-October 1. This was the worst summer for racial disturbances in United States history. More than 40 riots and 100 other disturbances occurred.April 4. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In the following week riots occurred in at least 125 places throughout the country.October 29. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools had to end at once and that unitary school systems were required.July 1. Kenneth Gibson became the first black mayor of an Eastern city when he assumed the post in Newark, New Jersey.
August 7. There was a shootout during an attempted escape in a San Rafael, California, courthouse. Implicated in the incident, Angela Davis went into hiding to avoid arrest. Davis would be acquitted of all charges on June 4, 1972.
March 24. The Southern Regional Council reported that desegregation in Southern schools was the rule, not the exception. The report also pointed out that the dual school system was far from dismantled.May 29. Thomas Bradley was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles.
October 16. Maynard H. Jackson was elected the first black mayor of Atlanta.
April 8. Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run to become the all-time leading hitter of home runs.
July 1. The largest single gift to date from a black organization was the $132,000 given by the Links, Inc., to the United Negro College Fund.
February 3. This was the eighth and final night for the miniseries based on

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January 5. The Ohio legislature passed "Black Laws" designed to restrict the legal rights of free blacks. These laws were part of the trend to increasingly severe restrictions on all blacks in both North and South before the Civil War.January 1. The federal law prohibiting the importation of African slaves went into effect.

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1664: Maryland was the first state to try to discourage by law the marriage of white women to black men.

February, 18, 1688:  The Quakers of Germantown, Pennsylvania, passed the first formal antislavery resolution.

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January 5. The Ohio legislature passed "Black Laws" designed to restrict the legal rights of free blacks. These laws were part of the trend to increasingly severe restrictions on all blacks in both North and South before the Civil War.January 1. The federal law prohibiting the importation of African slaves went into effect. It was largely circumvented.April 9. The African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at the first independent black denomination in the United States.August 18. General Andrew Jackson defeated a force of Native Americans and African-Americans to end the First Seminole War.May 30. The Denmark Vesey conspiracy was betrayed in Charleston, South Carolina. It is claimed that some 5,000 blacks were prepared to rise in July.September. David Walker's militant antislavery pamphlet, An Appeal to the Colored People of the World, was in circulation in the South. This work was the first of its kind by a black.
September 20-24. The first National Negro Convention met in Philadelphia.
August 21-22. The Nat Turner revolt ran its course in Southampton County, Virginia.July. The slaves carried on the Spanish ship, Amistad, took over the vessel and sailed it to Montauk on Long Island. They eventually won their freedom in a case taken to the Supreme Court.July. Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery. She would return South at least twenty times, leading over 300 slaves to freedom.January 1. Ashmum Institute, the precursor of Lincoln University, was chartered at Oxford, Pennsylvania. March 6. The Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court denied that blacks were citizens of the United States and denied the power of Congress to restrict slavery in any federal territory.August 23. James Stone of Ohio enlisted to become the first black to fight for the Union during the Civil War. He was very light skinned and was married to a white woman. His racial identity was revealed after his death in 1862.July 17. Congress allowed the enlistment of blacks in the Union Army. Some black units precede this date, but they were disbanded as unofficial. Some 186,000 blacks served; of these 38,000 died.January 1. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in states in rebellion against the United States.December 18. The Thirteenth Amendment, outlawing slavery, was passed by Congress. Edward G. Walker and Charles L. Mitchell were the first blacks to sit in an American legislature, that of Massachusetts.July 6. The South Carolina House became the first and only legislature to have a black majority, 87 blacks to 40 whites. Whites did continue to control the Senate and became a majority in the House in 1874.
July 28. The Fourteenth Amendment was passed. It made blacks citizens of the United States.
March 30. The Fifteenth Amendment, which outlawed the denial of the right to vote, was ratified.March 1. Congress passed a Civil Rights Bill which banned discrimination in places of public accommodation. The Supreme Court overturned the bill in 1883. 1881.
Tennessee passed a law requiring segregation in railroad cars. By 1907 all Southern states had passed similar laws.
September 18. Booker T. Washington delivered the "Atlanta Compromise" speech at the Cotton States International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia.May 18. In Plessy v. Ferguson the Supreme Court give legal backing to the concept of separate but equal public facilities for blacks.
July 11-13. W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter were among the leaders of the meeting from which sprung the Niagara Movement, the forerunner of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.April. The National Urban League was established.September 27. W. C. Handy published "Memphis Blues."September 9. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.February 19-21. The First Pan-African Congress met in Paris, France, under the guidance of W. E. B. Du Bois.August 1-2. The national convention of Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Society met in New York City. Garvey would be charged with mail fraud in 1923. He was convicted in 1925 and deported in 1927 after serving time in prison. These are the years usually assigned to the Harlem Renaissance, which marks an epoch in black literature and art.May 8. A. Philip Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.April 6. Nine young blacks were accused of raping two white women in a boxcar. They were tried for their lives in Scottsboro, Alabama, and hastily convicted. The case attracted national attention.August 9. Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Berlin.June 22. Joe Louis defeated James J. Braddock to become heavyweight boxing champion of the world.October 16. Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., became the first black general in the United States Army.June 25. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order forbidding discrimination in defense industries after pressure from blacks led by A. Philip Randolph.June. Some blacks and whites organized the Congress of Racial Equality in Chicago. They led a sit-in at a Chicago restaurant.April 24. The United Negro College Fund was founded.April 19. Jackie Robinson became the first black to play major league baseball.September 22. Ralph J. Bunche won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work as a mediator in Palestine. After keeping statistics kept for 71 years, Tuskegee reported that this was first year with no lynchings.May 17. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court completed overturning legal school segregation at all levels.December 1. Rosa Parks refused to change seats in a Montgomery, Alabama, bus. On December 5 blacks began a boycott of the bus system which continued until shortly after December 13, 1956, when the United States Supreme Court outlawed bus segregation in the city.February 14. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was formed with Martin Luther King, Jr., as president.

August 29. Congress passed the Voting Rights Bill of 1957, the first major civil rights legislation in more than 75 years.
February 1. Sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina, initiated a wave of similar protests throughout the South.
April 15-17. The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina.
April 3. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, Jr., blacks began a campaign against discrimination in Birmingham.
June-August. Civil rights protests took place in most major urban areas.

August 28. The March on Washington was the largest civil rights demonstration ever. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
January 23. The Twenty-fourth Amendment forbade the use of the poll tax to prevent voting.
March 12. Malcolm X announced his split from Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam. He would be assassinated on February 21, 1965.

July 18-August 30. Beginning in Harlem, serious racial disturbances occurred in more than six major cities.
January 2. The SCLC launched a voter drive in Selma, Alabama. which escalated into a nationwide protest movement.
August 11-21. The Watts riots left 34 dead, more than 3,500 arrested, and property damage of about 225 million dollars.
July 1-9. CORE endorsed the concept "Black Power." SNCC also adopted it. SCLC did not and the NAACP emphatically did not.
October. The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California.
May 1-October 1. This was the worst summer for racial disturbances in United States history. More than 40 riots and 100 other disturbances occurred.April 4. Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. In the following week riots occurred in at least 125 places throughout the country.October 29. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in schools had to end at once and that unitary school systems were required.July 1. Kenneth Gibson became the first black mayor of an Eastern city when he assumed the post in Newark, New Jersey.
August 7. There was a shootout during an attempted escape in a San Rafael, California, courthouse. Implicated in the incident, Angela Davis went into hiding to avoid arrest. Davis would be acquitted of all charges on June 4, 1972.
March 24. The Southern Regional Council reported that desegregation in Southern schools was the rule, not the exception. The report also pointed out that the dual school system was far from dismantled.May 29. Thomas Bradley was elected the first black mayor of Los Angeles.
October 16. Maynard H. Jackson was elected the first black mayor of Atlanta.
April 8. Henry Aaron hit his 715th home run to become the all-time leading hitter of home runs.
July 1. The largest single gift to date from a black organization was the $132,000 given by the Links, Inc., to the United Negro College Fund.
February 3. This was the eighth and final night for the miniseries based on

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January 5. The Ohio legislature passed "Black Laws" designed to restrict the legal rights of free blacks. These laws were part of the trend to increasingly severe restrictions on all blacks in both North and South before the Civil War.January 1. The federal law prohibiting the importation of African slaves went into effect.

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In 1940, 60 percent of employed black women worked as domestic servants; today the number is down to 2.2 percent, while 60 percent hold white- collar jobs.

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Black Progress: How far we've come, and how far we have to go | Brookings

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Brookings Review article by Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom (Spring 1998)

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The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the incident at Little Rock High School, Martin Luther King, the bombing of the church in Birmingham, Black Power, the work done by presidents Truman and Johnson in particular and the civil rights acts all occurred after 1945 and proved vital in the advances made by the civil rights

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American Civil Rights Timeline - History Learning Site

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Civil Rights in America spanned more than the years 1945 to 1968. However, it was after these years that fundamentally important events took place regarding civil rights and they were to gain a place in history. The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the incident at Little Rock High School, Martin Luther King, the bombing of the church ...

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The modern Civil Rights Movement is often marked as beginning with the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning school segregation or the day in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to move from a bus seat in Montgomery, AL and ends with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act or with the assassination of Dr.

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The modern Civil Rights Movement is often marked as beginning with the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision banning school segregation or the day in 1955 when Rosa Parks refused to move from a bus seat in Montgomery, AL and ends with the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act or with the assassination of…

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The Biggest Impact on The Civil Rights movement (1955)

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The Biggest Impact on The Civil Rights movement (1955)

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The biggest impact on the Civil rights movement was when the  federal court ruled that the laws in place to keep buses segregated. “In June 1956, a federal court ruled that the laws in place to keep buses segregated were unconstitutional, and the U.S. Supreme Court eventually agreed. The Montgomery bus boycott was one of the first major movements that initiated social change during the civil rights movement.”

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By: Cheryl Bond-Nelms Published February 09, 2018

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Key Events During the Civil Rights Movement

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The civil rights movement was an unprecedented journey for equality. Here are major boycotts, movements and marches that brought about change.

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In 1958, 44 percent of whites said they would move if a black family became their next door neighbor; today the figure is 1 percent.

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Black Progress: How far we've come, and how far we have to go | Brookings

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Brookings Review article by Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom (Spring 1998)

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In 1964, the year the great Civil Rights Act was passed, only 18 percent of whites claimed to have a friend who was black; today 86 percent say they do, while 87 percent of blacks assert they have white friends.

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Black Progress: How far we've come, and how far we have to go | Brookings

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Brookings Review article by Abigail Thernstrom and Stephan Thernstrom (Spring 1998)

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On August 5, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson passed the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 expanded the 14th and 15th amendments by banning racial discrimination in voting practices. The act was a response to the barriers that prevented African Americans from voting for nearly a century.

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The Second Revolution, 1965-1980 - Civil Rights (U.S. National Park Service)

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A collection of stories about important civil rights moments from 1965-1980.

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The Impacts of The Civil Rights Movement 

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The Impacts of The Civil Rights Movement 

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The Civil rights movement has brought thought to the whole world. This movement has banned racial discrimination and led to greater social and economic mobility for blacks. “One of the greatest achievements of the civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act led to greater social and economic mobility for African-Americans across the nation and banned racial discrimination, providing greater access to resources for women, religious minorities, African-Americans, and low-income families.” “In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing.”

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/civil-rights-center/statutes/civil-rights-act-of-1964

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Andrene Jones-Castro is a graduate intern at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and is a doctoral student studying education policy at the University of Texas at Austin. Full profile →

David J. Johns is executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition. Full profile →

Sixty-two years ago this month, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended segregation in public places and prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex or national origin.

Prior to the Act of 1964, African-Americans faced enormous challenges that were permissible by law including: discrimination in employment, less access to quality housing, disenfranchisement, as well as continued struggles to integrate public schools 10 years after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

One of the greatest achievements of the civil rights movement, the Civil Rights Act led to greater social and economic mobility for African-Americans across the nation and banned racial discrimination, providing greater access to resources for women, religious minorities, African-Americans and low-income families.

Additionally, the Act paved the way for subsequent civil rights legislation for African-Americans and other minority groups including the removal of discriminatory barriers to voting ( Voting Rights Act of 1965), protection from discrimination when Americans are renting, buying or paying for housing ( Fair Housing Act of 1968), and specific protections under the law for Americans with disabilities ( Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990).

Despite the tremendous progress our country has made since 1964, the Civil Rights Act must continue to shape our nation's definition of and access to equal opportunity.

In commemoration of the signing of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964, The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans has highlighted five reasons the Civil Rights Act still matters today.

1. Educational disparities still exist for African-American students

Data released in June 2016 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights highlights opportunity gaps in public schools across the nation.

For example, Black K-12 students are 3.8 times as likely to receive one or more out-of-school suspensions as compared to White students in the same grade. Disproportionate rates of suspension also exist for students with disabilities.

African-American female students are 6 times more likely to receive an out-of-school suspension than any other group of girls.

Harsh school discipline policies that result in school expulsion and suspension have a detrimental effect on students and schools, including, but not limited to: reducing the time of classroom instruction and in school social interactions, removing students' access to resources such as school lunches or after school programming, and negatively impacting the school climate.

Most importantly-harsh disciplinary practices push African-American and Latino students out of the classroom and into the criminal justice system, which is known as the " school-to-prison pipeline."

Schools and communities must rethink, evaluate and remove policies or practices that are discriminatory to ensure all students are receiving a high quality education in schools where they feel safe and supported.

Ensuring that students in all schools across the nation have access to and are enrolled in rigorous coursework is also a critical component to ensuring educational equity. This includes access to high-level math and science courses.

Disparities in course availability and enrollment leads to challenges in career entrance, readiness and success. Maximizing educational opportunities from early learning through post-secondary success ensures that all students-despite race, national origin, gender, ability, sexuality, or religion-are equipped to and are supported in overcoming academic or socio-economic barriers to a quality education.

2. Community-Building Resources

The national commitment to the Civil Rights Act and desegregation galvanized efforts to integrate schools. Today, school integration has never been more important.

"Like math and reading, like science and social studies, and the arts, diversity is no longer a luxury," said Education Secretary John B. King Jr. addressing the National PTA.

With the recent Supreme Court Fisher v. University of Texas ruling, which upheld affirmative action, institutions of higher education, among other institutions, must revisit and improve admission policies and practices to better support racial, ethnic and socio-economic diversity and integration.

Early childhood education, elementary and secondary schools also have a role to play in ensuring diversity among teachers and leaders.

Deepening racial and economic resegregation in schools and universities has disparate outcomes that result in under resourced and underperforming schools, disparities in teaching quality, as well as limitations to post-secondary education and career opportunities.

Diversity matters and strengthens communities. Schools and institutions that are diverse and inclusive encourage communities and students to work together to solve seemingly intractable problems.

3. Opportunity Gaps Cause Achievement Gaps

The National Council on Educational Statistics (NCES) defines achievement gaps as the imbalance that occurs when one group of students outperforms another group by a significant margin.

African-American and non-White low-income students still lag far behind their White, middle class peers in reading and math proficiency, high school graduation, and rate of college completion.

The persistent gap in achievement is caused by a gap in opportunities due to systemic and institutional inequalities in resources and supports that have been shown to improve educational outcomes, such as high quality preschool, school funding, and an experienced teaching staff.

A key factor in closing opportunity and achievement gaps is ensuring African-American children and families have access to high quality early learning care and education programs and support systems.

Parents, families and communities can support early learning by engaging in activities that build critical cognitive, social and emotional skills. Using dance, music and art to stimulate interest in learning, and maintaining regular routines for reading and story time can also promote language and motor skill development.

To ensure that African-Americans are not limited by persistent opportunity gaps, investments in high-quality early learning such as the national push for universal pre-K is essential to building a foundation for development, learning, academic success, and productive citizenry.

Ultimately, a solid early education paves the way for long-term success and moves us forward to closing opportunity and achievement gaps.

4. Equal Opportunity, Equal Recognition

The significance of the Civil Rights Act cannot be overstated.

The Act led to greater equality for women, LGBTQ persons, individuals with a disability and immigrants. The Civil Rights Act also influenced the implementation of educational polices that emphasized equity in education such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and later, the 2015 reauthorization-Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Of the approximately 50 million students in our nation's public schools, African-American students represent 15% of the total population. Together, English learners and students with disabilities make up 24 percent of the student population.

In renewing our commitment to civil rights, schools must meet the unique needs of all students so they might thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.

Educational policies that recognize, honor and support students' race, religion, abilities, sexual or gender orientation, or home language is a meaningful way to honor the civil rights of diverse students.

5. Schools Cannot Do It Alone

Today's civil rights movement must be led by all caring and concerned adults. There are no bystanders in the work of ensuring we live up to our founding principles of equality and the pursuit of opportunity. Access to opportunity should not be predicated or constrained by genetic code or zip code.

Educational opportunities, however, must be supported by cross-agency policies and collaborative practices that lead to thriving students, productive citizens, and successful communities across our country.

New laws and provisions should be authorized to increase access to safe and affordable housing for children and families, provide greater avenues for adult and youth employment, increase access to nutrition and transportation, as well as reformed criminal justice policies that restore individuals and communities.

President Obama's Stronger Together proposal (2016) is a step in the right direction. Stronger Together encourages schools and communities to create strong voluntary, community-based plans to assist local school districts and to develop innovative strategies to achieve equity and high achievement.

Creating a well-rounded infrastructure with adequate resources expands learning opportunities and fulfills every students' civil right to an excellent education.

These are only a few important ways that we can continue the work of ensuring equity and strengthening communities and our country.

We encourage you to identify ways to use your time, talents, and treasures to support the learning and development of all children.

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5 Reasons the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Is Just as Relevant Today

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Andrene Jones-Castro is a graduate intern at the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans and is a doctoral student studying education policy at the University of Texas at Austin. Full profile → David J. Johns is executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition.