PROGRESS

Why Civil Rights Act of 1964 Isn't Safe From White Men Like Charlie Kirk

When it comes to safeguarding civil rights, vigilance is key

Dr. Allison Wiltz
5 min readApr 21, 2024

--

People wearing white clothes lying on the floor | Photo by Cottonbro Studio via Pexels

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty," Ida B. Wells-Barnett wrote to emphasize Black Americans' continuous struggle to preserve their civil rights. As we witness the hard-fought progress won during the 1960s being threatened and rolled back, her words resonate more than ever. Due to the scatter-shot strategy of teaching students black history, many develop a shallow understanding of the civil rights era, mistakenly believing these rights are permanent and self-sustaining. This, however, is a myth. The harsh reality is that securing civil rights requires unwavering defense, or else we risk losing decades of progress.

Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist who co-founded Turning Point and became a millionaire who rose to prominence supporting former President Donald Trump's campaign, now hosts his podcasts, inviting guests to talk about hot-button issues. Like many conservatives, he's openly antagonistic toward civil rights legislation and policies designed to mitigate racial disparities. In an April 17th episode entitled, America's 'Elites' War on White People, Kirk spoke with Jeremy Carl, an author of The Unprotected Class, questioning the legitimacy of…

--

--

Dr. Allison Wiltz
Dr. Allison Wiltz

Written by Dr. Allison Wiltz

Black womanist scholar with a PhD from New Orleans, LA with bylines in Oprah Daily, Momentum, ZORA, Cultured. #WEOC Founder

Responses (24)