Marking The 50th Anniversary Of The Civil Rights Act

Published April 10, 2014 at 3:35 PM EDT

This week, U.S. presidents are heading to Austin, Texas, to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are all scheduled to speak in addition to President Obama at the Civil Rights Summit at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.

The anniversary not only honors the legislation, but the president behind it, Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson is often remembered as the presidential force behind the Vietnam War, but with anniversaries like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, which has its 50th anniversary next year, Johnson is being reintroduced as the civil rights president.

Ben Philpott, senior political reporter KUT, Austin speaks with Here & Now’s Robin Young about the Civil Rights Summit.

Guest

Ben Philpott, state political reporter at KUT in Austin. He tweets @BenPhilpottKUT.