Thurgood Marshall & Justice

"In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."
One of the many timeless quotes from Thurgood Marshall...

Baltimore, Maryland: 1908,
Thurgood Marshall was born, destined to be great.
His parents were working class, grandfather a slave,
And he was interested in the law at a young age.
’Cause his pops spent his free time at the courts,
He watched court cases like a fan watches sports.
And when they were done, he’d talk ’em over with his sons.
You could say that’s where Thurgood got his love of law from.
At his high school, which, by the way, was segregated,
Thurgood had good grades, and he actively debated.
And he also caused a little mischief,
But his punishment really helped him out with his gift.
When he caused problems, the school’s solution
Was that he recite parts of the Constitution.
And by the time he graduated, he was rockin’ it,
I mean he had memorized the entire document.
After college, he wanted to go to law school,
But the University of Maryland said that was not cool.
They rejected him just because of his skin,
So at Howard University is where he would begin
To learn to use the law
To fight for civil rights and justice for all.
He worked for the NAACP,
Where he earned his first major legal victory.
In Murray v. Pearson a man was denied
Entry to Maryland’s school of law ’cause his skin wasn’t white.
And I bet Marshall had a smile on his face when
He struck down the school’s policy on segregation.

Thurgood Marshall: a superhero of the law,
He led the fight for civil rights and liberty for all.
On the Supreme Court, he was the first black justice,
Yeah, so everybody give it up—this is
Thurgood Marshall: a superhero of the law,
He led the fight for civil rights and liberty for all.
On the Supreme Court, he was the first black justice,
Yeah, so everybody give it up, let’s go.

Next came the biggest case Marshall faced when
He took on Brown v. Board of Education.
See the NAACP
Filed a suit on behalf of black families
In Topeka, where children were forced to attend
Segregated schools that were basically condemned.
And in ’54, Marshall got the victory,
And nationwide, school segregation became history.
This would be a catalyst for Thurgood,
After years of working, LBJ said, hey, you’re good.
And with the President’s support,
Thurgood Marshall stepped up to the Supreme Court.
As the first black justice ever,
He made fighting for rights his major endeavor.
He supported rulings that upheld
Civil liberties and free speech, because he was compelled.
He served on the court for 24 years,
And over time, became the only liberal amongst his peers.
But his dissents were still intense,
And he stayed progressive his entire time on the bench.

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy."
Words from Thurgood Marshall...

Thurgood Marshall: a superhero of the law,
He led the fight for civil rights and liberty for all.
On the Supreme Court, he was the first black justice,
Yeah, so everybody give it up—this is
Thurgood Marshall: a superhero of the law,
He led the fight for civil rights and liberty for all.
On the Supreme Court, he was the first black justice,
Yeah, so everybody give it up, let’s go.

“The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis.”
Words from Thurgood Marshall...