Black Americans

Overview

"The United States Government, under the Constitution and the law, is committed to the guarantee of the fundamental rights of every American. My Administration will preserve these rights and work toward the elimination of all forms of discrimination against individuals on the basis of their race, color, religion, national origin, or sex."

Thus did President Ford tell of his commitment to the preservation of the fundamental rights of all Americans. President Ford has a twenty-five year record of achievement in ending racial discrimination, beginning with his earliest service in the House of Representatives to the present.

The President's efforts to end racial discrimination are well-known. Throughout his years in Congress, then-Congressman Ford was active in formulating, and voted for every major piece of legislation aimed at ending discrimination based on race, from the Civil Rights Bills of the 1950's; to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and extensions and strengthening of these and other Acts through the 1970's. In August, 1974, President Ford signed legislation amending the Voting Rights Act of 1965, extending the temporary provisions of the Act for seven years and expanding coverage of the Act to language-minority citizens.

And President Ford has carried out his beliefs in the American system of equal opportunity for all in his actions as well as in his words. Notables such as Secretary of Transportation William T. Coleman; John Calhoun, Special Assistant to the President; Arthur Fletcher, Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs; and Constance Newman, Assistant Secretary for Consumer Affairs, in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, lead the list of Black Americans appointed to positions of leadership and responsibility in President Ford's Administration. In another recent action to fight more subtle discrimination against Americans, President Ford:

The Ford Administration has shown real commitment to the concerns of Black Americans in the critical areas of Civil Rights, Equal Opportunity, Employment, Business opportunities, and Education, and Housing. Activities in these areas are summarized below:

Civil Rights

Equal Employment Opportunity

Minority Enterprise

Educational Opportunities

Housing

Anti-Poverty and Social Programs