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Civil Rights 50 Years Later: Law Was A Victory For Women, Too

NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Over two weeks, WCBS 880′s Wayne Cabot is taking a look at the law and its impact on the decades that follow.

It is all part of the event CBS News 50 Years Later – Civil Rights, powered by Microsoft Bing Pulse.

As 1964 drew to a close, the Civil Rights Act was law, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Blacks were not the only beneficiaries of the new law; women were as well. It barred employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex.

Southern opponents inserted "sex" into the legislation hoping it would be a deal-breaker. But it passed -- and the modern women's movement was born.

Take a listen below:

Civil Rights 50 Years Later: Law Was A Victory For Women, Too

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