61 years ago today, July 2, 1964 (May 23, 1964, lunar calendar), U.S. President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Johnson signed in the East Room July 2, 1964. When U.S. President Johnson wrote a pen, the broadest civil rights law in American history became law. In approving the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the President asked all citizens in a televised speech to help eliminate the remnants of the human rights violations of others that persist in the United States. This is the result of a long-term struggle among black Americans. The law prohibits racial discrimination in hiring personnel, public utilities, union membership and federally funded projects. Congress made certain changes to the draft law and then submitted it for signature for implementation. Johnson and his predecessor Kennedy did the hard work of lobbying lawmakers to get the bill passed. The law appears to remove barriers to inequality and pave the way for just opportunity for the 22 million black people living in the United States. Johnson told TV viewers that "the days of not recognizing black people's inalienable rights are over" and let's eliminate hotbeds of racial discrimination.