Civil rights queen Constance Baker Motley and the struggle for equality
"Born to an aspirational blue-collar family during the Great Depression, Constance Baker Motley was expected to find herself a good career as a hair dresser. Instead, she became the first black woman to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court, the first of ten she would eventually argue. The...
| Main Author: | Brown-Nagin, Tomiko, 1970- (Author) |
|---|---|
| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Pantheon Books,
[2022]
|
| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- Part I. Beginnings. "The base of this great ambition" : Nevis and New Haven
- "I discovered myself" : the Great Depression, the New Deal, and the dawn of a political conscience
- "Like a fairy tale" : Black exceptionalism, philanthropy, and a path to higher education
- A fortuitous meeting with "Mr. Civil Rights" : Thurgood Marshall and an offer not to be refused
- "They hovered over and cared for each other" : the uncommon union of Constance Baker and Joel Motley Jr.
- Part II. Becoming the civil rights queen. "A professional woman" : Breaking barriers at work and in the courtroom
- "We all felt the excruciating pressure" : making history in Brown v. Board of Education
- "The fight has just begun" : the decade-long slog to desegregate the University of Florida College of Law
- "We made a mistake" : "poor character," "loose morals," and untold sacrifices in pursuit of higher education at the University of Alabama
- Part III. The heights and depths of life as a symbol and agent of change. The "best plaintiffs ever" : desegregating the University of Georgia
- A "difficulty with the idea of a woman" : the setback of 1961
- "That's your case" : James Meredith and the battle to desegregate the University of Mississippi
- "I am human after all" : trauma and hardship in the long battle at Ole Miss
- An "eye-opening experience" : the Birmingham civil rights campaign
- Part IV. A season in politics. "An ideal candidate" : the making of a political progressive
- "Crisis of leadership" : a clash between radical and reform politics
- "Not a feminist" : the Manhattan Borough presidency
- Part V. On the bench. "First" : the judicial confirmation
- "A tough old bird" : Judge Motley's court
- "The weeping and the wailing" : the Black Panther Party, the FBI, and the Huggins Family
- "Pawns in a very dangerous game" : crime, punishment, and prisoners' rights
- A "woman lawyer" and a "woman judge" : making opportunity for women in law
- "For a girl, you know a lot about sports" : the New York Yankees strike out in Judge Motley's courtroom
- No "protecting angel" : Blacks, Latinos, and ordinary people in Judge Motley's courtroom
- Epilogue: legacies.