The Eights | Gender Rights and Civil Rights in 1988

The Brian Lehrer Show | May 25, 2018

In our series The Eights: A Brief History of the American Culture Wars, Mary Frances Berry, professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, former chairwoman of the US Commission on Civil Rights, and the author of History Teaches Us to Resist: How Progressive Movements Have Succeeded in Challenging Times (Beacon Press, 2018), takes a look back at the year 1988 and President Reagan’s impact on civil rights and gender rights.

@DrMFBerry says Reagan was purposely conflating affirmative action + quotas. "Brad Reynolds, who ran the civil rights division at the justice department...did everything he could to undermine all of the civil rights laws, from voting rights to education..."
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 29, 2018

Re: gender issues, @DrMFBerry reminds us Reagan supported gutting Title IX — they tried to add anti-abortion amendments to the bill...and it was passed over his veto, keeping Title IX.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 29, 2018

@DrMFBerry says people know Reagan has an airport named after him; they remember him as an "affable guy" - they don't remember all the moves he took to undermine civil rights - plus, he packed the courts with conservatives.
— Brian Lehrer Show (@BrianLehrer) May 29, 2018

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