This week the Civil Rights Summit was held at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act. If you ask why the Johnson Library, then you don’t realize that when President Johnson was a United States Senator from Texas, he voted against every civil rights bill that came his way.
President Lyndon B. Johnson's predecessor, President John F. Kennedy, was a strong supporter of Civil Rights but died before any civil rights legislation could be passed by Congress. President Johnson took up the former president’s fight for civil rights, and he put his entire political capital behind shepherding civil rights legislation through Congress. President Johnson pushed both republicans and democrats to make President Kennedy’s dream come true.
I was born in Austin, Texas, and moved to Dallas at age ten with my family. I was a sixth grader in a segregated school, living in a segregated neighborhood when President Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember that day in November 1963 when word spread that the President had been shot. Everyone thought the fight for civil rights had died with him. That day, no one believed that President Johnson would become the next champion of the Civil Rights Movement; however, he worked hard and pushed civil rights legislation across the finish line. He also went on to champion the passing of voting rights, fair housing, and anti-poverty legislation. He, by many accounts, sacrificed his political future and legacy by advocating for those issues.
I went on to be in the first class to integrate my high school. In college, I became the first African–American ROTC Cadet Commander. Upon graduation from college, I had the opportunity to earn my wings from Air Force Pilot Training. Because of the fair housing legislation, I was able to buy my first home exactly where I wanted to live at age 25. I treasure my right to vote, and I make sure I vote in every election, often by absentee or early voting. Because of the struggles of our previous generations, I have been afforded a wonderful flying career at Southwest Airlines, eventually becoming the first African-American Chief Pilot for a major airline.
My generation benefited greatly from the civil rights movement. We must not take for granted the privileges that came to pass from the Johnson Presidency. I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act, and continuing to treasure the many opportunities it has provided. In my years, I have realized that the rights of all of us depend on the rights of each of us.
Southwest Airlines Captain Louis Freeman answering students’ intriguing aviation questions at African-Americans in Aviation Pioneer Day at The National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, February 2014.
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