Table Of Content

Cover Page: i Also by Tomiko Brown-Nagin Page: i Title Page Page: i Copyright Page: iv Dedication Page: v “Listen Lord—from the Slums” Page: vi Contents Page: viii Introduction Page: 1 Part I. Beginnings Page: 13 1. “The Base of This Great Ambition”: Nevis and New Haven Page: 14 2. “I Discovered Myself”: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Dawn of a Political Conscience Page: 28 3. “Like a Fairy Tale”: Black Exceptionalism, Philanthropy, and a Path to Higher Education Page: 39 4. A Fortuitous Meeting with “Mr. Civil Rights”: Thurgood Marshall and an Offer Not to Be Refused Page: 53 5. “They Hovered Over and Cared for Each Other”: The Uncommon Union of Constance Baker and Joel Motley Jr. Page: 56 Part II. Becoming The Civil Rights Queen Page: 62 6. “A Professional Woman”: Breaking Barriers at Work and in the Courtroom Page: 64 7. “We All Felt the Excruciating Pressure”: Making History in Brown v. Board of Education Page: 79 8. “The Fight Has Just Begun”: The Decade-Long Slog to Desegregate the University of Florida College of Law Page: 91 9. “We Made a Mistake”: “Poor Character,” “Loose Morals,” and Untold Sacrifices in Pursuit of Higher Education at the University of Alabama Page: 98 Part III. The Heights and Depths of Life as A Symbol and Agent of Change Page: 111 10. The “Best Plaintiffs Ever”: Desegregating the University of Georgia Page: 112 11. A “Difficulty with the Idea of a Woman”: The Setback of 1961 Page: 126 12. “That’s Your Case”: James Meredith and the Battle to Desegregate the University of Mississippi Page: 141 13. “I Am Human After All”: Trauma and Hardship in the Long Battle at Ole Miss Page: 158 14. An “Eye-Opening Experience”: The Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign Page: 177 Part IV. A Season in Politics Page: 199 15. “An Ideal Candidate”: The Making of a Political Progressive Page: 200 16. “Crisis of Leadership”: A Clash Between Radical and Reform Politics Page: 217 17. “Not a Feminist”: The Manhattan Borough Presidency Page: 228 Part V: On the Bench Page: 245 18. “First”: The Judicial Confirmation Page: 246 19. “A Tough Old Bird”: Judge Motley’s Court Page: 264 20. “The Weeping and the Wailing”: The Black Panther Party, the FBI, and the Huggins Family Page: 272 21. “Pawns in a Very Dangerous Game”: Crime, Punishment, and Prisoners’ Rights Page: 283 22. A “Woman Lawyer” and a “Woman Judge”: Making Opportunity for Women in Law Page: 302 23. “For a Girl, You Know a Lot About Sports”: The New York Yankees Strike Out in Judge Motley’s Courtroom Page: 316 24. No “Protecting Angel”: Blacks, Latinos, and Ordinary People in Judge Motley’s Courtroom Page: 327 Epilogue: Legacies Page: 345 Illustrations Page: 361 Acknowledgments Page: 362 Notes Page: 366 Sources Page: 444 Index Page: 469 About the Author Page: 498

Description:

With the US Supreme Court confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, “it makes sense to revisit the life and work of another Black woman who profoundly shaped the law: Constance Baker Motley” (CNN). The first major biography of one of our most influential judges—an activist lawyer who became the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary—that provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th Century. “A must-read for anyone who dares to believe that equal justice under the law is possible and is in search of a model for how to make it a reality.” —Anita Hill 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 in Birmingham, helped to argue in 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. Burnished with an extraordinary wealth of research, award-winning, esteemed Civil Rights and legal historian and dean of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Tomiko Brown-Nagin brings Motley to life in these pages. Brown-Nagin 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 twentieth-century America.