SAN ANTONIO – President Joe Biden will visit Texas on Monday to mark a historic anniversary in American history.
Biden is expected to arrive in Austin on Monday afternoon to commemorate the anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed into law 60 years ago this month by former President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin illegal. The law’s origins date back to 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was in office.
Signing the act into law became a priority for Johnson, who was sworn in as commander-in-chief following the assassination of Kennedy in Nov. 1963.
Biden’s visit to the Lone Star State will also mark his first public appearance away from the White House since he announced he was no longer running for a second term as president on July 21. The speech was originally set for July 15 but was rescheduled after Biden got COVID-19.
The White House also announced that Biden will make a stop Monday in Houston to pay respects to the late Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. She died on July 19 after she announced a pancreatic cancer diagnosis last month. Jackson Lee served as a U.S. Representative from Texas’ 18th Congressional District for nearly 30 years.
When Biden lands in Austin, he will deliver a keynote address at Monday’s Civil Rights Act celebration at the LBJ Presidential Library.
The library said Biden will be joined by, among others, Andrew Young. Young is a former U.S. Representative, Atlanta mayor, and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Actor Bryan Cranston, who played Johnson in the 2016 television movie All the Way, will also be in attendance.
“We’re honored to have President Biden at the LBJ Library to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, a law that was a giant step toward fulfilling our nation’s most sacred promise of ‘all men are created equal,’” presidential historian and LBJ Foundation President and CEO Mark K. Updegrove said in a statement. “Last year, President Biden said civil rights are ‘the unfinished fight of America.’ We look forward to commemorating this milestone with the President and hearing his vision for how we can continue to make real the promise of America for all of its citizens.”
The ceremony is scheduled to begin around 3:30 p.m. Monday inside the LBJ Auditorium at the LBJ Presidential Library.
While there, he’ll call for changes to the Supreme Court that include term limits and an enforceable ethics code for justices, as well as a constitutional amendment that would limit presidential immunity.
KSAT anchor Steve Spriester will be anchoring from the LBJ Presidential Library for Monday’s historic celebration. KSAT will be livestreaming Biden’s arrival in Austin, scheduled for about 2:30 and his address on KSAT.com, KSAT+ and the KSAT YouTube Channel.