Public NeedThere was a great public need for legal human protections against immoral and inhumane acts against individuals who were not white, male, Anglo-Saxon Protestant, or born in the United States. The Intercultural Development Research Association's definition of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states: “Prohibits discrimination because of race, color, age, creed, or national origin in any federally funded activity” (Law and Court Cases Related to National Origin Equity and Desegregation, page 1). However, before this Civil Rights Act of 1964 went into effect, people were constantly discriminated against and mistreated because of who they were, what they believed, and where they came from. There was absolutely no law or act that said these discriminatory behaviors were wrong or illegal. These people were robbed of their rights because they were not given the opportunity to have jobs, live in nice homes, or live normal lives like traditional white citizens did. People began to raise their voices to help end discrimination. end once and for all. In 1946, a man named Jacob Wittner from New York was part of an organization called the “New York State Commission Against Discrimination,” where he was determined to help end this era of discrimination. Jacob's son wrote an article in the Huffington Post, in which his father stated that: "Although my father did not begin his work with much knowledge of discriminatory behavior, he quickly became aware of the high level of irrational prejudice swirling beneath the placid surface of the 1940s". and America in the 1950s: prejudices that led to refusals of jobs, of admission to hotels, restaurants and other places of public accommodation, and of rent or s...... middle of paper ..... . Washington Post Staff Writer: “Byrd, who was unemployed and living alone in a subsidized apartment, was walking home from a family reunion after midnight when he was picked up and taken to the woods outside of town. There he was beaten, then shackled at the ankles and dragged behind a pickup truck for about three miles” (Duggan, 1999). Discrimination and hatred are still alive and well in our country even in the face of the headlines produced by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Discrimination permeates society and for this reason the act was enacted to provide protections and determine rights and responsibilities . There have been many gains, losses and inactions since the law was passed. Some things have changed for the better, others have remained the same. Since the passage of this law, there have been many successes, but there are still many failures.