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And Justice For All: The United States Commission
on Civil Rights and the Continuing Struggle
for Freedom in America.
by Mary Frances Berry

Starting with its formation in 1957 by President Eisenhower, Ms. Berry examines the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights' origins, challenges, and accomplishments, particularly during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. The Commission's public hearings, reports, and extended jurisdiction were instrumental in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Age Discrimination Act of 1978, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Ms. Berry, who chaired the Commission for 11 years, includes some very disturbing and heart-rending testimonies from government witnesses and local people amid attacks from Southern segregationists, death threats, and fear of reprisal

Although race, particularly discrimination against blacks, was the initial focus, over time attention shifted to other minorities, as well as women, gays, and the disabled. However, in later years, Berry notes a more politically partisan slant to the commission. She recommends that the commission both refocus on its original commitment and expand its scope to both civil and human rights so that America’s compliance can be placed in the context of international human rights standards to provide some much-needed self-criticism.

Check out And Justice For All: The United States Commission
on Civil Rights and the Continuing Struggle
for Freedom in America., available now on the library's New Book Shelf.