Rick Dean
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http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/159745-8779-103.html
Veteran activist says equality still lacking
Statehouse ceremony for law's anniversary attracts about 150
By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com
July 3, 2004
Fred Fields experienced discrimination and racism as a black man living in Indiana in the 1960s.
The color of his skin meant that many restaurants, public pools and public parks were off limits to the Muncie resident.
"In my younger days, you knew your place," Fields, 68, said. "You knew where you could go and where you couldn&
39;t go."
Fields was among about 150 people who gathered in the Statehouse rotunda Friday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which ended legalized segregation in America.
Much has improved for blacks and other minorities in the past 40 years, but civil ri
ghts legend the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery told those gathered that true equality is a dream not yet realized.
"We won the battle of the customer side of the lunch counter, but the battle over the cash register side is still waging," Lowery said.
A recent report issued by the National Urban League found the earning power of blacks in America is about 27 percent less than that of whites.
Lowery hailed the Civil Rights Act as the law that "delivered us from the evil of separate but equal facilities."
"Every effort was made by law to remind the Negro of his place," Lowery said, noting that blacks were often forced to drink from rusty water fountains before the marches
and sit-ins made a difference.
Lowery, 82, is one of the most recognized names in the American civil rights movement. In 1957, he co-founded with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the Southern Chr
istian Leadership Conference -- King served as the group's president, Lowery the vice president.
Lowery had harsh words for today's l
eaders and strong criticism for President Bush's decision to wage war in Iraq.
"The nation needs the moral leadership of the coalition that sprung out of the civil rights movement now more than ever," Lowery said. "This nation has become a predator rather than a protector."
He said the country has adopted policies that favor the wealthy at the expense of the poor. He contrasted the money spent on war with the lack of support for social issues such as health care and increasing the minimum wage.
"We search for weapons of mass destruction in a faraway land that do not seem to exist, and we ignore the weapons of mass de
struction here at home," he said.
Lowery, who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965, said he is most troubled by the young black men and women today who do not exercise their r
ight to vote.
He called on all Americans to take a more active role in the ongoing struggle for equality.
"Black is more than a complexion," Lowery said. "It's an experience; it's an at
titude."
Deborah Combs, 51, traveled from Columbus for the celebration. She lived in Kentucky in 1964 and recalled the blatant racism that permeated the community. She said the civil rights movement made it a little bit easier for minorities to get jobs and advance their education.
"I hope we do continue the fight on for this victory in progress," Combs said.
Call Star reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2750.
Veteran activist says equality still lacking
Statehouse ceremony for law's anniversary attracts about 150
By Vic Ryckaert
vic.ryckaert@indystar.com
July 3, 2004
Fred Fields experienced discrimination and racism as a black man living in Indiana in the 1960s.
The color of his skin meant that many restaurants, public pools and public parks were off limits to the Muncie resident.
"In my younger days, you knew your place," Fields, 68, said. "You knew where you could go and where you couldn&
39;t go."
Fields was among about 150 people who gathered in the Statehouse rotunda Friday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which ended legalized segregation in America.
Much has improved for blacks and other minorities in the past 40 years, but civil ri
ghts legend the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery told those gathered that true equality is a dream not yet realized.
"We won the battle of the customer side of the lunch counter, but the battle over the cash register side is still waging," Lowery said.
A recent report issued by the National Urban League found the earning power of blacks in America is about 27 percent less than that of whites.
Lowery hailed the Civil Rights Act as the law that "delivered us from the evil of separate but equal facilities."
"Every effort was made by law to remind the Negro of his place," Lowery said, noting that blacks were often forced to drink from rusty water fountains before the marches
and sit-ins made a difference.
Lowery, 82, is one of the most recognized names in the American civil rights movement. In 1957, he co-founded with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. the Southern Chr
istian Leadership Conference -- King served as the group's president, Lowery the vice president.
Lowery had harsh words for today's l
eaders and strong criticism for President Bush's decision to wage war in Iraq.
"The nation needs the moral leadership of the coalition that sprung out of the civil rights movement now more than ever," Lowery said. "This nation has become a predator rather than a protector."
He said the country has adopted policies that favor the wealthy at the expense of the poor. He contrasted the money spent on war with the lack of support for social issues such as health care and increasing the minimum wage.
"We search for weapons of mass destruction in a faraway land that do not seem to exist, and we ignore the weapons of mass de
struction here at home," he said.
Lowery, who marched from Selma to Montgomery, Ala., in 1965, said he is most troubled by the young black men and women today who do not exercise their r
ight to vote.
He called on all Americans to take a more active role in the ongoing struggle for equality.
"Black is more than a complexion," Lowery said. "It's an experience; it's an at
titude."
Deborah Combs, 51, traveled from Columbus for the celebration. She lived in Kentucky in 1964 and recalled the blatant racism that permeated the community. She said the civil rights movement made it a little bit easier for minorities to get jobs and advance their education.
"I hope we do continue the fight on for this victory in progress," Combs said.
Call Star reporter Vic Ryckaert at (317) 444-2750.