The Equal Opportunities Commission, the Department of Civil Rights, and the greater Madison community will celebrate 60 years of civil rights efforts within the City of Madison with a celebration reception on Saturday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at The Atrium on Madison’s South Side.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of many significant civil rights events. At the local level, the City of Madison Equal Opportunities Ordinance was signed 60 years ago in December of 1963. This year’s celebration will include, according to a press release from the City of Madison, meeting the current Equal Opportunities Commission, music, food, dance, artists from “Our Town Everywhere,” and books to share with families.
“Some people within our community can recall these events in the ’60s, but more importantly, we all should understand the significance of what these events meant to our community and how over the years our way of thinking has changed,” Department of Civil Rights Director Norman Davis said in a statement.
Historically, groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Color People, (NAACP) and the League of Women Voters have been at the forefront of civil and human rights. In 1963 in the City of Madison, members of these two groups helped form the Madison Citizens for Fair Housing and were instrumental in addressing discrimination in the City of Madison by helping to draft and secure legal protection for residents of color. The Equal Opportunities Ordinance predates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and is now one of the most comprehensive ordinances in the nation, offering protection from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations for thirty protected classes.
