Introduction: Inaugural Wiley A. Branton - Howard Law Journal Symposium

It is truly a pleasure to participate in this program commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, one of the greatest legislative achievements in American history. It also feels appropriate to me that this commemorative event is taking place at Howard University School of Law, an institution that has played an unrivaled role in the United States for generations as an incubator for leadership and litigation campaigns in the fight for civil rights and equal justice. Nothing could be more fitting than to have this retrospective look at two generations of life under the 1964 Act as the inaugural event of the 2004 Wiley Branton Symposium hosted by the Howard Law Journal. Wiley Branton was a tenacious civil rights litigator, public official, and educator who embodied the highest ideals of the legal profession