Rare and significant partly-printed DS, one page, 12.75 x 9.75, no date but circa 1964. Citation presented by the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership to Hon. James G. O'Hara, "for his devoted efforts, his inspired leadership in the national interest and, above all, his dedication to American principles in helping to secure passage of the historic Civil Rights Bill of 1964, which offers a new hope of equality and opportunity for constructive citizenship to millions of Americans." Signed at the conclusion by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), James Farmer (Congress of Racial Equality), Whitney Young, Jr. (National Urban League), Jack Greenberg (NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund), Dorothy Height (National Council of Negro Women), Roy Wilkins (NAACP), and James Forman (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). The embossed gold foil seal and blue ribbon affixed at the bottom remain intact. Displayed in its original 14 x 11 frame, with an address label on the backing: "The Hon James O'Hara, House of Rep, Washington DC 20515." In fine condition, with slight fading to King's signature.
This remarkable document is signed by the heads of the diverse organizations—ranging from the the radical Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to the conservative National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)—that formed the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership (CUCRL), an umbrella group established in June 1963 to organize and regulate the Civil Rights Movement. The Council was responsible for organizing the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, headlined by Martin Luther King's enduring 'I Have a Dream' speech, and played a key role in promoting the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
A Democrat from Michigan, the Hon. James G. O'Hara served in the House of Representatives from 1959 to 1977. He was recognized as one of his party's most skilled floor leaders and legislative strategists, and led efforts to secure voting rights for Black Americans. A liberal ally of the Civil Right Movement, O'Hara helped to ensure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—Lyndon B. Johnson's landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin, and one of the most significant legislative achievements in American history.
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