JFK 60 Years Later: Thanking the 35th President on Thanksgiving Day (Part 4)

More leadership lessons in the area of civil rights gains during the 1960s…

As you may know, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 60 years ago on November 22, 1963, in Dallas. It was a cruel day for America which sent the country into a state of collective shock and national mourning.

Upon hearing the devastating news, men and women cried in the streets. Children were sent home early from school. Some businesses closed shop. The grief was widespread and lasting.

The good news is that JFK’s heroic legacy of leadership lives on today, as highlighted in this 4-part series examining his leadership lessons in the context of space exploration and civil rights.

This final installment will focus on how JFK changed hearts and minds of many Americans and Congress on issues of civil rights — some of whom were racist southerners who still waved the confederate flag. JFK’s bold leadership resulted in the passage of groundbreaking civil rights laws to usher in a new era of equal opportunity for Black Americans and all Americans.

Unfortunately, President Kennedy was not alive to witness the fruits of his labor in this regard. But his herculean efforts in laying the critically important groundwork for such historic civil rights progress remain among his most far-reaching accomplishments.

That’s why we should pause this Thanksgiving holiday weekend to give thanks to JFK six decades after he was murdered.

The 35th President made a powerful case for the necessity of equal opportunity, which positively altered the course of American history.

Civil Rights Struggle

President Kennedy occupied the Oval Office during one of the most turbulent times of the post-World War II era.

The non-violent civil rights movement led by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was growing across the South and having a deep social impact on the conscience of the country, for Blacks and Whites alike.

The national mood was tense as police used unnecessary violence to stop peaceful demonstrations of civil rights advocates. This included beating civil rights marchers bloody with batons, unleashing K-9 attack dogs, and spraying down demonstrators with powerful water cannons.

This was a time of intense social upheaval and uncertainty. America faced a crossroads in the fight for equal opportunity for all citizens.

JFK played a pivotal role in persuading Whites about the importance of civil rights for Black Americans, who faced daily discrimination in nearly all aspects of society.

JFK successfully framed the civil rights debate as a historic struggle for basic civil and human rights for all citizens under the U.S. Constitution. He leveraged his formidable communications skills to drive home this message in the new era of TV news — similar to how President Franklin D. Roosevelt leveraged the commercialization of radio to effectively address Americans via his “Fireside Chats”.

JFK’s groundbreaking and heroic leadership transcended the times.

Among his civil rights achievements, JFK fought for and signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to prevent wage discrimination in the workplace. The law provided legal protections from gender bias for women doing the same or similar work as men in the same or similar jobs. The issue of equal pay for equal work continues to resonate today.

Most importantly, JFK also set the stage for subsequent passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — both crowning achievements in the fight for equal opportunity at a time when it was sorely lacking for minorities and women alike.

These landmark civil rights laws fundamentally changed how minorities and women were treated in nearly all aspects of public life, from the workplace to the polling place.

Leadership in TV Era

To demonstrate his leadership and command of communications in the new age of live television, JFK delivered a consequential nationally televised address on June 11, 1963, during the height of the civil rights struggle.

NOTE: Click here for more information on JFK and civil rights from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

The young president told a weary nation: “This nation, for all its hopes and all its boasts, will not be fully free until all of its citizens are free.”

President Kennedy also stated the following in this seminal speech for the ages, which does not get nearly enough attention today (bold added for emphasis):

• “It ought to be possible… for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be backed up by troops.”
• “It ought to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and restaurants and theaters and retail stores, without being forced to resort to demonstrations in the street.”
• “And it ought to be possible for American citizens of any color to register and to vote in a free election without interference or fear of reprisal.”
• It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color.”
• “In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated. But this is not the case.”
• “This is not a sectional issue…Nor is this a partisan issue…This is not even a legal or legislative issue alone. It is better to settle these matters in the courts than on the streets, and new laws are needed at every level, but law alone cannot make men see right.”
• “We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution.”
• “The heart of the question is — whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.”
• “If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want…”
• “…then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay?”
• “One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free.”
• “It is not enough to pin the blame on others, to say this is a problem of one section of the country or another, or deplore the fact that we face.”
• “A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all.”

“Those who do nothing are inviting shame as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right as well as reality.” — JFK civil rights speech

Final Thoughts

We can all take a cue from JFK’s lasting legacy of leadership. He helped change the very fabric of society and bring out the best in Americans at a time of intense domestic turbulence.

President Kennedy transcended the times by leading ordinary citizens to dream of what was once unimaginable and to achieve what was once thought impossible — from civil rights to space exploration and other major issues of the day.

JFK successfully laid the groundwork for passage of two of the most consequential civil rights laws in American history: the sweeping Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

That’s why John F. Kennedy remains one of the most popular and beloved American presidents 60 years after his untimely death.

That’s why JFK’s vital leadership lessons will live on in the 21st century and beyond for a new generation of leadership — in addition to future generations of young leaders who can learn and benefit from his legacy.

Thus, as Americans gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s remember to pause and give thanks for the life and legacy of JFK.

________________________

The author is a former career spokesman and communications executive for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency which enforces anti-discrimination laws in the workplace.