Today we celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. He led marches and movements that continued the civil rights movement. I deeply admire Martin Luther King Jr., but I think there is another person who charted the path that Martin Luther King Jr. continued on. To me Thurgood Marshall opened so many doors in the area of civil rights. He argued more cases before the United States Supreme Court (32) than any other lawyer and he won 29 of those cases. Just to name a few:
1. School integration from primary to graduate schools.
2. Overthrowing "white primary" election policies.
3. Overthrowing the legality of race restrictive covenants in neighborhoods.
4. Defended and won the rights of civil rights demonstrators.
5. Brown v. Board of Education: Demolished legal basis for segregation in public schools.
6. Browder v. Gayle: Bus segregation ended, ending the Montgomery bus boycott.
I am thankful to all people who stand up for what they believe is their right. The power to voice your point of view to the government and be heard is what makes this country great! I am thankful Martin Luther King Jr., and countless others who did this through marches, protests, gatherings and so forth. I am grateful Thurgood Marshall for recognizing laws that diminished civil rights and fighting for those rights through the legal system. We would not be where we are today without his efforts!
http://www.thurgoodmarshall.com/speeches/tmlaw_article.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurgood_Marshall
