Civil Rights: The Past, The Future And Now

By Hady Mawajdeh,

Published July 9, 2015 at 12:10 PM EDT

Image of Benjamin Hedin, who is a widely published author and essayist. His latest book is 'In Search of the Movement: The Struggle for Civil Rights Then and Now.'

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The law ended unfair voter registration requirements and racial segregation in schools and workplaces.

Unfortunately, that law did not end discrimination, and people around the country continue to fight every day for equal rights and freedom.

Host Frank Stasio talks with author Benjamin Hedin about his new book “In Search of the Movement: The Struggle for Civil Rights Then and Now” (City Lights Books/2015) which profiles legendary figures from the long civil rights movement, including John Lewis, Julian Bond and contemporary leaders like William Barber II of the Moral Monday movement.

Hedin will be reading from his book at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on July 30 at 7 p.m.

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Hady Mawajdeh

Hady Mawajdeh is a native Texan, born and raised in San Antonio. He listened to Fresh Air growing up and fell in love with public radio. He earned his B.A. in Mass Communication at Texas State University and specialized in electronic media. He worked at NPR affiliate stations KUT and KUTX in Austin, Texas as an intern, producer, social media coordinator, and a late-night deejay.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

See stories by Frank Stasio