National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, commonly known as the Kerner Commission, was established in 1967 under President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the causes of the race riots that erupted in several American cities during that summer. Chaired by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, the commission included a diverse group of members including labor, civil rights, and law enforcement leaders, as well as congressional representatives. Its primary objective was to analyze the circumstances surrounding the riots, which had roots in longstanding racial discrimination and socioeconomic inequality, particularly affecting African American communities.
The Kerner Commission's findings highlighted a troubling division in American society, asserting that the nation was becoming "two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal." The report emphasized the critical need for new initiatives aimed at improving employment, education, and housing opportunities for marginalized populations. It also called for the implementation of federal programs to combat poverty and discrimination, and offered guidance for local officials on preventing violence and improving community-police relations. Ultimately, the commission sought to address the systemic issues that fueled civil unrest and advocated for comprehensive reforms to foster greater social equity.
National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders
The National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders was created by by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s executive order in 1967 with Governor Otto Kerner of Illinois as chairman and Mayor John V. Lindsay of New York City as vice chairman. The commission, also known as the Kerner Commission, had eleven members, including four members of Congress as well as labor, civil rights, and law enforcement leaders. Other public officials and private citizens participated on advisory panels studying such things as private enterprise and insurance in riot-affected areas. The commission’s main purpose was to investigate what happened and why during the riots of the summer of 1967 and discuss ways to prevent such riots from reoccurring.
Racial violence had escalated with the riots in Watts in 1965 and, by the summer of 1967, was spreading to other American cities. After extensive study, the commission recommended new and expanded employment and educational opportunity programs, national standards for welfare programs, and increased access to housing. The commission’s report stated that the United States was becoming “two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal.” It was the first major study to place the blame for creating Black ghettos on White society.
The commission studied the major race riots, identified violence patterns, developed participants' profiles, and analyzed the conditions before and after the unrest. Despite concern among some officials that the violence was being encouraged by radical groups, the commission determined that the principal causes were widespread discrimination and segregation and the increasing concentration of the Black population in inner-city ghettos, offering little opportunity. These conditions, according to the Kerner Commission’s report, led to pervasive frustration, the acceptance of violence as a means of retaliation, and growing feelings of powerlessness. A spark was all that was necessary to ignite violence, and the police often provided it.
The commission recommended new federal programs to address the problems of poverty, unemployment, education, and housing and the expansion of existing urban programs, such as the Model Cities Program, to provide economic opportunity to residents of the inner city. Guidance was also offered to state and local officials for identifying potentially violent conditions, reducing the likelihood of violence, providing training to police to lessen tensions in minority communities, and organizing emergency operations in response to escalating violence.
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