Today, I gave a quick lesson to my students about Senator Cory Booker’s history-making moment yesterday. I highlighted the striking contrast between Senator Booker and Senator Strom Thurmond, focusing on how Booker broke Thurmond’s infamous record for the longest single filibuster in U.S. Senate history. Thurmond, a staunch segregationist, famously filibustered the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to block progress toward racial equality, using Senate rules to entrench segregation and maintain the status quo. (Throughout American history, filibusters were often used by segregationists to block civil rights legislation.)
Fast forward to Booker, who surpassed Thurmond's record with a 25-hour+ filibuster that addressed not only voting rights but also the broader moral crisis facing our country. Booker highlighted harmful job cuts and attacks on education and social programs under the Trump administration, with Elon Musk’s influence pushing policies to defund schools and undermine job security. He framed this as part of a larger battle to defend democracy from forces eroding its foundations.
Watch to learn more about other significant civil rights events that occurred in 1957.
Quick Reflection: As I watched Senator Cory Booker break Strom Thurmond’s record for the longest speech on the Senate floor, I was deeply moved—as an American and as a United States history teacher.
Thurmond used his time to stand in the way of progress.
Booker used his to stand for it.
This was a powerful moment. This is the America we’re fighting for. This is our moral moment—and we must all answer the call.
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