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Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality
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About This Book
The first major biography of one of our most influential but least known judicial activists that provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th century. 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 only Black woman member in the legal team at the NAACP's Inc. Fund at the time, she defended Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham, helped to argue Brown vs. The Board of Education, and played a critical role in vanquishing Jim Crow laws throughout the South. She was the first Black woman elected to the state Senate in New York, the first woman elected Manhattan Borough President, and the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary. Civil Rights Queen captures the story of a remarkable American life, a figure who remade law and inspired the imaginations of African Americans across the country. Building on an extraordinary wealth of research, Tomiko Brown-Nagin, an award-winning, esteemed civil rights and legal historian and dean of the Radcliffe Institute, compels us to ponder some of our most timeless and urgent questions. How do the historically marginalized access the corridors of power? What is the price of the ticket? How does access to power shape individuals committed to social justice? In Civil Rights Queen, she dramatically fills out the picture of some of the most profound judicial and societal change made in 20-century America.
Reviews
"Brilliantly balancing the details of Motley's professional and personal life with lucid legal analysis, this riveting account shines a well-deserved—and long overdue—spotlight on a remarkable trailblazer."
"This may be due to the fact that Motley was a notably reserved woman, although by all accounts warm and engaging ..."
"Brown-Nagin's rich narrative highlights the major cases and rulings that marked these years and define [Baker's] legacy ..."
"Civil Rights Queen is an essential text for anyone studying the history of racial injustices against African Americans and a testament to one of the most remarkable women in history who deserves far more recognition."
"Brown-Nagin—a constitutional law professor, dean of Harvard's Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and Bancroft Prize–winning author—ably shows how Motley emerged as not just one of the first Black women to practice law, but a key assistant to Thurgood Marshall ..."
"Some of the most poignant episodes in the book recount the harrowing experiences of Motley and her clients in the South — risking their lives in their persistent efforts to make the country measure up to its stated ideals ..."
"Brown-Nagin's biography not only shines a light on a forgotten civil rights pioneer but also asks insightful questions about the relationship of power, gender, and social justice."
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