Norton to Host Black History Month Forum on ‘50 Years of Civil Rights Since Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall,’ February 27
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will host a conversation, entitled "50 Years of Civil Rights Since Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall," to discuss civil rights, voting rights, Thurgood Marshall, and the Supreme Court on Monday, February 27, 2017, from noon – 2:00 p.m., at Howard University School of Law, Building 355 (2900 Van Ness St. NW). The Black History Month commemoration is open to the public. Norton will moderate a panel of guests featuring Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean of Howard University Law School; Todd A. Cox, Director of Policy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; and Angela Rye, CEO of IMPACT Strategies and former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus.
"With the current Supreme Court vacancy currently under debate, there is no better time than this year's Black History Month to take a step back and examine the 50-year journey of civil and voting since the historic appointment and confirmation of the first African America Supreme Court justice," Norton said. "For the nation, these 50 years have been historically expansive. We need to look at how far we have come to help see where we must go next."
Before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall was counsel who argued Brown v. Board of Education. Plaintiffs in the District of Columbia and four states successfully challenged the separate but equal doctrine that had sanctioned segregation in public schools.