The Five Most Important Civil Rights Cases You’ve Never Heard Of (NEW RELEASE!)
Marcia Chatelain is Penn Presidential Compact Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and was previously Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University. The author of South Side Girls: Growing up in the Great Migration, Chatelain is a public voice on the history of African American children, race in America, as well as social movements. She has been quoted in articles in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Washington Post, and has appeared on local television and national outlets including C-SPAN, MSNBC, CNN, BBC-America, and PBS. In 2016, Chatelain was named a “Top Influencer in Higher Education,” by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Her book Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America earned her the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in History.
Overview
Most people recognize Thurgood Marshall for his groundbreaking work as founder of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, one of the civil rights attorneys behind the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas case in 1954, and for his appointment to the Supreme Court in 1967. Yet, his path to the Supreme Court and the annals of American history included some forgotten, yet critical legal cases that helped advance the cause of African American justice. From cases exploring the treatment of black members of the military to the desegregation of the law school that barred him from applying, this presentation will help amplify the story of change over time and remind us of the importance of honoring the past. This lecture will highlight a variety of Marshall’s legal cases, including: Murray v. Pearson (1936), Adams v. United States (1943) and Smith vs. Allwright (1946).