EMILYs List Celebrates the 55th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

For Immediate Release
July 2, 2019

EMILYs List Celebrates the 55th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In honor of the 55th anniversary of the passage of the Civil Rights Act, Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, released the following statement:

“Fifty five years ago today, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law and helped bring an end to discrimination in public places and the Jim Crow era; outlawed segregation in our schools and discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Unfortunately, under the Trump administration, the civil rights of women, people of color, and immigrants have been under constant fire by the GOP’s dangerous and discriminatory policies intended to turn back the clock. 

“No one should live in fear of being stripped of their rights — Republicans must be held accountable. EMILYs List is proud to support pro-choice Democratic women who have stood up for their communities and fought against discrimination since day one. They're needed now more than ever. In the face of countless attacks on progress, we're forever reminded of the struggles — and hard won fights — of those before us, but today we're also reminded of what's at stake come 2020. The fight for progress is far from over. ”  

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, has raised over $600 million to elect pro-choice Democratic women candidates. With a grassroots community of over five million members, EMILY's List helps Democratic women win competitive campaigns – across the country and up and down the ballot – by recruiting and training candidates, supporting strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect 150 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 16 governors, and nearly 1,100 women to state and local office. Nearly 40 percent of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. During the historic 2017-2018 cycle, EMILYs List raised a record-breaking $110 million and launched a record independent expenditure campaign. We helped elect 34 new women to the House, including 24 red-to-blue victories; enough seats to have delivered the U.S. House majority alone. Since the 2016 election, more than 46,000 women have reached out to EMILY's List about running for office laying the groundwork for the next decade of candidates for local, state and national offices.