Resolution to Lyndon Johnson from National Association of Media Women
10/14/1967
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, color, or national origin in public places, schools, and employment. However, discrimination based on sex was not initially included in the proposed bill, and was only added as an amendment in Title VII in an attempt to prevent its passage.
After the bill was passed, the government began work on policies that would enforce the new laws. As a result, Executive Order 11246 was issued on September 24, 1965, to address compliance with civil rights regulations. However, it made no mention of discrimination based on sex.
The omission of women’s rights did not go unnoticed. Many women and advocacy groups wrote to President Johnson, expressing the need to expand Executive Order 11246 to include enforcement of discrimination against women.
Praise for the inclusion of women as beneficiaries of the Federal government’s ban on employment discrimination also came from black women’s groups such as the National Association of Media Women.
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