Local NAACP president looks back at civil rights law and at what’s ahead

As the country celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the head of the local NAACP talks with KLBJ about the impact of the law and what needs to be done moving forward. On July 2, 1964 the landmark legislation was passed. Nelson Linder, president of the Austin NAACP, calls it a great piece of legislation that transformed the country politically and otherwise. “This country was at a very critical point, politically, racially and culturally. I think that legislation and what came out of that was probably the most meaningful legislation in this country’s history.” But he says there’s still room for improvement and talks about where that should start. “I think the main thing is to look at and acknowledge the impact and effect of historical discrimination, which didn’t end in 1964. Today, there’s a lot of inequality based on the history of discrimination.” Linder says there's a need for meaningful dialogue to address inequity in employment, medium income and education.