MADISON — The City of Madison is inviting all citizens to participate in an event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Equal Opportunities Ordinance. This year marked the 50th Anniversary of many significant civil rights events, the “March on Washington”, the Bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Civil Rights Activist Medgar Evers. Some of us were alive and remember these events, but more importantly, we all should understand their significance.
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 twenty-five protected classes.
Please join us on Thursday, Dec. 12, 4-7 p.m., in the lobby of the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr., Blvd, as we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the City of Madison’s Equal Opportunities Ordinance.
