1908 – Thurgood Marshall is Born
Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908. Marshall received his law degree from Howard University in 1933 before serving as the NAACP’s chief legal counsel. His most famous case was the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954 which overruled the “separate but equal” principle set by Plessy v. Ferguson. Marshall was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1967, becoming the first Black person to hold the position. He served on the court until 1991 and died two years later at age 84.
1925 – Medgar Evers is Born
Medgar Evers, born on this day in 1925, was a prominent civil rights activist who dedicated his life to end racial segregation and discrimination. As the first field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi, Evers organized voter registration drives, established new NAACP chapters and helped lead demonstrations against segregation. His assisnation on June 2, 1963 was a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, fueling other leaders and other freedom fighters with a renewed determination to continue their struggle for justice and equality.
1964 – Civil Rights Act is Signed Into Law
On this day in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into the landmark Civil Rights Act. The legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, region, sex, or national origin. This bill prohibited discrimination in public accommodations, education, employment and federally funded programs. In later years Congress expanded the act and passed other civil rights legislations such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
