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This Week on Washington Journal: LBJ

by Caitlin Hillyard

This week Washington Journal will focus on President Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society," a series of political initiatives aimed at addressing social issues, including poverty and racial injustice.

On May 22, 1964, President Johnson delivered his "Great Society" speech, which outlined these initiatives.

On Sunday's Washington Journal program,Robert Woodson, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise President Robert Woodson and New America Foundation Co-Founder Michael Lind discussed President Lyndon Johnson's goal of promoting equality and ending poverty, which included the Civil Rights Act.

President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. In 2004, former President George W. Bush delivered remarks on the 40th anniversary of the bill signing and discussed how civil rights had improved in the U.S. because of the law.

In April of this year, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and President Obama spoke at a three-day summit hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library to mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.

Activists Julian Bond, Andrew Young and Representative John Lewis (D-GA) discussed the Civil Rights Movement and the Civil rights Act at an event held at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library marking the anniversary of the legislation.