african american lawyer who worked for the naacp

by Prof. Rudy Jacobi DVM 7 min read

Charles Hamilton Houston

Why did Larry Arthur work pro bono for NAACP?

Arthur worked pro bono because the NAACP could not afford to hire attorneys on a regular basis and was often able to convince other prominent attorneys to volunteer their services. Arthur served as the chairman of the National Legal Committee until …

Who was on the NAACP Legal Committee?

Antonio Ingram is a 2017 Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship alum and now works as a civil rights lawyer for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. Before his current position, Antonio was a senior associate at a law firm, where he held a pro bono practice and represented incarcerated individuals.

Who prosecuted the NAACP’s early Supreme Court victories?

Nov 22, 2009 · In 1928, Georgia Jones Ellis became the first woman officer in a bar association in the United States. In 1981, the NBA elected its first woman president, Arnette Hubbard. Even after 1943 when the American Bar Association finally accepted black members, the NBA remained the primary organizational vehicle for the vast majority of black attorneys.

What is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)?

Feb 20, 2020 · Constance Baker Motley was an unlikely civil rights hero. An African American who grew up near Yale University, she did not personally experience overt racism until late in high school, and as a young person she was almost totally unaware of black history. A 1998 portrait of U.S. District Judge Constance Baker Motley.

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What African-American was extremely success as a lawyer for the naacp?

Thurgood MarshallHow Did Thurgood Marshall Help the NAACP? Immediately after graduation, Marshall opened a law office in Baltimore, and in the early 1930s, he represented the local NAACP chapter in a successful lawsuit that challenged the University of Maryland Law School over its segregation policy.

Who was an naacp lawyer?

The first general counsel of NAACP, Charles Hamilton Houston exposed the hollowness of the "separate but equal" doctrine and paved the way for the Supreme Court ruling outlawing school segregation.

Who was the lead lawyer for the naacp in the Brown case?

Thurgood MarshallThe NAACP and Thurgood Marshall took up Brown's case along with similar cases in South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware as Brown v. Board of Education. Oliver Brown died in 1961. Born in 1917, Robert Carter, who served as an attorney for the plaintiffs in Briggs v.Jun 8, 2021

Why is Thurgood Marshall so famous?

Thurgood Marshall was a civil rights lawyer who used the courts to fight Jim Crow and dismantle segregation in the U.S. Marshall was a towering figure who became the nation's first Black United States Supreme Court Justice. He is best known for arguing the historic 1954 Brown v.

Who was the lawyer in Brown v. Board of Education?

Thurgood MarshallBoard of Education Re-enactment. As a lawyer and judge, Thurgood Marshall strived to protect the rights of all citizens. His legacy earned him the nickname "Mr.

What was the name of the case that overturned Plessy?

The decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka on May 17, 1954 is perhaps the most famous of all Supreme Court cases, as it started the process ending segregation. It overturned the equally far-reaching decision of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896.May 17, 2021

Who was the African American who first served on the Supreme Court justice?

Justice Thurgood MarshallJustice Thurgood Marshall: First African American Supreme Court Justice. On June 13, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated distinguished civil rights lawyer Thurgood Marshall to be the first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Who served as the lead lawyer for the naacp and oversaw cases like Davis v County School Board of Prince Edward and Brown v. Board of Education?

Once again, Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund handled these cases. Although it acknowledged some of the plaintiffs'/plaintiffs claims, a three-judge panel at the U.S. District Court that heard the cases ruled in favor of the school boards.

What strategy did the naacp adopt in its fight for civil rights?

At the second annual meeting on May 12, 1910, the Committee adopted the formal name of the organization—the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP's goals were the abolition of segregation, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and racial violence, particularly lynching.

Who signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

President Lyndon JohnsonOn July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, calling on U.S. citizens to “eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in America.” The act became the most sweeping civil rights legislation of the century.Jan 29, 2021

Was Thurgood Marshall half white?

Thurgood Marshall's Family Marshall was born to Norma A. Marshall and William Canfield on July 2, 1908. His parents were mulatottes, which are people classified as being at least half white.

Who was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court?

Justice Sandra Day O'ConnorJustice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, and served from 1981 until 2006.

How old is Clarence Thomas?

73 years (June 23, 1948)Clarence Thomas / Age

Who was the plaintiff in Brown vs Board of Education?

Oliver BrownIn the case that would become most famous, a plaintiff named Oliver Brown filed a class-action suit against the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in 1951, after his daughter, Linda Brown, was denied entrance to Topeka's all-white elementary schools.Jan 11, 2022

What was the decision in Brown vs Board of Education case who was the famous lawyer for Brown?

Thurgood MarshallCounty School Board of Prince Edward County (1952). Brown v. Board of Education was argued on December 9, 1952. The attorney for the plaintiffs was Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court (1967–91).

Who were the Little Rock Nine and what did they do?

Little Rock Nine, group of African American high-school students who challenged racial segregation in the public schools of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Who was the leader of the NAACP?

The larger conference resulted in a more diverse organization, where the leadership was predominantly white. Moorfield Storey , a white attorney from a Boston abolitionist family, served as the president of the NAACP from its founding to 1915.

Who was the field secretary of the NAACP?

In 1916, chairman Joel Spingarn invited James Weldon Johnson to serve as field secretary. Johnson was a former U.S. consul to Venezuela and a noted African-American scholar and columnist. Within four years, Johnson was instrumental in increasing the NAACP's membership from 9,000 to almost 90,000.

What is the NAACP's mission?

Its mission in the 21st century is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination". National NAACP initiatives include political lobbying, publicity efforts and litigation strategies developed by its legal team.

How many youth groups are there in the NAACP?

Youth sections of the NAACP were established in 1936; there are now more than 600 groups with a total of more than 30,000 individuals in this category. The NAACP Youth & College Division is a branch of the NAACP in which youth are actively involved. The Youth Council is composed of hundreds of state, county, high school and college operations where youth (and college students) volunteer to share their opinions with their peers and address local and national issues. Sometimes volunteer work expands to a more international scale.

Where is the NAACP headquartered?

The NAACP is headquartered in Baltimore, with additional regional offices in New York, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Colorado and California. Each regional office is responsible for coordinating the efforts of state conferences in that region. Local, youth, and college chapters organize activities for individual members.

Who is the NAACP?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey and Ida B. Wells.

What was the Pan American Exposition of 1901?

The Pan-American Exposition of 1901 in Buffalo, New York, featured many American innovations and achievements, but also included a disparaging caricature of slave life in the South as well as a depiction of life in Africa, called "Old Plantation" and "Darkest Africa", respectively. A local African-American woman, Mary Talbert of Ohio, was appalled by the exhibit, as a similar one in Paris highlighted black achievements. She informed W. E. B. Du Bois of the situation, and a coalition began to form.

Who was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court?

Marshall founded LDF in 1940 and served as its first Director-Counsel. He was the architect of the legal strategy that ended the country’s official policy of segregation and was the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court. He served as Associate Justice from 1967-1991 after being nominated by President Johnson.

What did Marshall do after he graduated?

Immediately after graduation, Marshall opened a law office in Baltimore , and in the early 1930s, he represented the local NAACP chapter in a successful lawsuit that challenged the University of Maryland Law School over its segregation policy. In addition, he successfully brought lawsuits that integrated other state universities.

When did Thurgood Marshall retire?

He served as Associate Justice from 1967-1991 after being nominated by President Johnson. Marshall retired from the bench in 1991 and passed away on January 24, 1993, in Washington D.C. at the age of 84. Civil rights and social change came about through meticulous and persistent litigation efforts, at the forefront of which stood Thurgood Marshall ...

Where was William Marshall born?

Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, to William Marshall, railroad porter, who later worked on the staff of Gibson Island Club, a white-only country club and Norma Williams, a school teacher. One of his great-grandfathers had been taken as a slave from the Congo to Maryland where he was eventually freed.

Who was the founder of the NAACP?

NAACP Founder Mary White Ovington. Mary White Ovington (1865–1951), a social worker and freelance writer, was a principal NAACP founder and officer for almost forty years. Born in Brooklyn, New York, into a wealthy abolitionist family, she became a socialist while a student at Radcliffe College.

What was the NAACP conference?

In 1916, one year after the death of Booker T. Washington, the NAACP issued a call for a conference of black leaders to unite Washington’s supporters and NAACP activists behind a common program. W.E.B. Du Bois and Joel Spingarn held the conference August 24-26, at Troutbeck, Spingarn’s estate near Amenia, New York. The roughly fifty conferees adopted a “Unity Platform” that affirmed all forms of education for blacks and political freedom. They also pledged to work together to improve race relations and forget old “hurts and enmities.” The Anemia Conference marked the NAACP’s ascent as the dominant force in the civil rights movement.

Why was the Spingarn Medal awarded?

To counteract this misperception, he established the Spingarn Medal, a gold medal to be awarded annually for “the highest achievement by an American Negro.” The medal’s purpose was twofold—first, to inform the nation of the significant contributions of its black citizens; and second, to foster race pride and stimulate the ambition of black youth. The first Spingarn Medal was awarded to Dr. Ernest Just in 1915 for his research in biology.

What was the purpose of the 1909 National Negro Conference?

An interracial assembly of 300 men and women attended sessions designed to scientifically refute the popular belief in Negro inferiority. The speakers included sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois, anthropologist Livingston Farrand, economist Edwin Seligman, and neurologist Burt G. Wilder. The National Negro Committee, or Committee of Forty, was formed to plan a permanent organization. At the second annual meeting on May 12, 1910, the Committee adopted the formal name of the organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Du Bois recommended “Colored” instead of “Negro” to signify the Association’s interest in advancing the rights of all dark-skinned people. The goals of the NAACP were the abolition of segregation, discrimination, disenfranchisement, and racial violence, particularly lynching.

When did segregation begin?

In 1913 President Woodrow Wilson introduced segregation into federal government agencies. Black employees were separated from other workers in offices, restrooms, and cafeterias. Some were also downgraded; others discharged on fictitious grounds. Oswald Garrison Villard met privately with President Wilson to recommend the appointment of a National Race Commission to counter the new discriminatory policies. When President Wilson refused, the NAACP released this open letter of protest to the press. Segregation in the federal government persisted through the next three Republican administrations.

Why did James Weldon Johnson coin the phrase "red summer"?

James Weldon Johnson coined the phrase “Red Summer” to describe the wave of racial violence that exploded across the U.S. during the summer and early fall of 1919. There were race riots in twenty-five cities including Chicago, Omaha, Washington, D.C., and Longview, Texas. Johnson investigated the five-day Washington riot, which erupted on July 19, when white servicemen began assaulting black pedestrians in response to sensationalized newspaper reports of black men attacking white women. This is the affidavit of James E. Scott, who was assaulted on a streetcar.

Who was Henry Moskowitz?

Henry Moskowitz (1879–1936), a Romanian Jewish émigré, attended the University Settlement’s boys’ club as a youth. There he met fellow socialist William English Walling, with whom he traveled to Eastern Europe in 1905 to study social and economic conditions.

Who was the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge?

In 1992, the organization Just the Beginning celebrated the diversifying of the federal Judiciary. Constance Baker Motley, the first African American woman to serve as a federal judge, poses with a group of colleagues. Motley remains revered by the many judges and law clerks she mentored.

Who was Constance Baker Motley?

Constance Baker Motley was an unlikely civil rights hero. An African American who grew up near Yale University, she did not personally experience overt racism until late in high school, and as a young person she was almost totally unaware of black history. A 1998 portrait of U.S. District Judge Constance Baker Motley.

Who was the first person to meet Martin Luther King?

Constance Baker Motley first met Martin Luther King, Jr., in July 1962, after successfully arguing that protesters had the right to demonstrate in Albany, Georgia. Lawyer William Kuntsler is at right. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection, LC-USZ62-138785.

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Overview

History

The Race Riot of 1908 in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital and President Abraham Lincoln's hometown, was a catalyst showing the urgent need for an effective civil rights organization in the U.S. In the decades around the turn of the century, the rate of lynchings of blacks, particularly men, was at an all-time high. Mary White Ovington, journalist William English Walling and Henry Moskow…

Organization

The NAACP is headquartered in Baltimore, with additional regional offices in New York, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Colorado and California. Each regional office is responsible for coordinating the efforts of state conferences in that region. Local, youth, and college chapters organize activities for individual members.
In the U.S., the NAACP is administered by a 64-member board led by a chairperson. The board el…

Predecessor: The Niagara Movement

The Pan-American Exposition of 1901 in Buffalo, New York, featured many American innovations and achievements, but also included a disparaging caricature of slave life in the South as well as a depiction of life in Africa, called "Old Plantation" and "Darkest Africa", respectively. A local African-American woman, Mary Talbert of Ohio, was appalled by the exhibit, as a similar one in Paris highlighted black achievements. She informed W. E. B. Du Boisof the situation, and a coalition be…

Local branch impact

The organization's national initiatives, political lobbying, and publicity efforts were handled by the headquarters staff in New York and Washington, D.C. Court strategies were developed by the legal team based for many years at Howard University.
NAACP local branches have also been important. When, in its early years, the national office launched campaigns against The Birth of a Nation, it was the local branches that carried out the …

Current activities

Youth sections of the NAACP were established in 1936; there are now more than 600 groups with a total of more than 30,000 individuals in this category. The NAACP Youth & College Division is a branch of the NAACP in which youth are actively involved. The Youth Council is composed of hundreds of state, county, high school and college operations where youth (and college students…

Awards

• NAACP Image Awards – honoring African-American achievements in film, television, music, and literature
• NAACP Theatre Awards – honoring African-American achievements in theatre productions
• Spingarn Medal – honoring general African-American achievements

See also

• Althea T. L. Simmons
• Civil rights movement (1896–1954)
• Chicago Better Housing Association
• The Crisis, official magazine

Early life and education

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Marshall was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland to William Marshall, railroad porter, who later worked on the staff of Gibson Island Club, a white-only country club and Norma Williams, a school teacher. One of his great-grandfathers had been taken as a slave from the Congo to Maryland where he was eventually fr…
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Early career

  • Immediately after graduation, Marshall opened a law office in Baltimore and in the early 1930s, he represented the local NAACP chapter in a successful lawsuit that challenged the University of Maryland Law School over its segregation policy. In addition, he successfully brought lawsuits that integrated other state universities. In 1936, Marshall became the NAACPs chief legal couns…
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Significance

  • After founding the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in 1940, Marshall became the key strategist in the effort to end racial segregation, in particular meticulously challenging Plessy v. Ferguson , the Court-sanctioned legal doctrine that called for separate but equal structures for white and blacks. Marshall won a series of court decisions that gradually struck down that doctrine, ultimately lea…
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Leadership

  • In 1957 LDF, led by Marshall, became an entirely separate entity from the NAACP with its own leadership and board of directors and has remained a separate organization to this day.
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Later career

  • In 1961, President Kennedy nominated Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in which he wrote 112 opinions, none of which was overturned on appeal. Four years later, he was appointed by President Johnson to be solicitor general and in 1967 President Johnson nominated him to the Supreme Court to which he commented: I have a lifetime appointment and I intend to …
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Criticisms

  • As a Supreme Court Justice, he became increasingly dismayed and disappointed as the courts majority retreated from remedies he felt were necessary to address remnants of Jim Crow. In his Bakke dissent, he wrote: In light of the sorry history of discrimination and its devastating impact on the lives of Negroes, bringing the Negro into the mainstream of American life should be a sta…
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Legacy

  • In particular, Marshall fervently dissented in cases in which the Supreme Court upheld death sentences; he wrote over 150 opinions dissenting from cases in which the Court refused to hear death penalty appeals. Among Marshalls salient majority opinions for the Supreme Court were: Amalgamated Food Employees Union v. Logan Valley Plaza, in 1968, which determined that a m…
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