JFK HOPES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRESS CAN BE MADE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On May 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was asked at his news conference held at the State Department here in the Nation's Capital...
"Mr. President,
Today is the eighth anniversary of the Supreme Court desegregation decision.* Do you feel that progress in this area has been rapid enough?"
President Kennedy answered...
"I think we can always hope more progress can be made. There is a good deal left undone, and while progress has been made, I think we can always improve equality of opportunity in the United States."
*The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1954 (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas) that racial segregation in public education is a violation of the Constitution. The decision overturned the high court's ruling in 1896 (Plessy v. Ferguson) that "separate but equal facilities" were constitutional.
