Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site Establishment Act of 2024

Madam President, I am pleased to join the Maryland delegation in introducing legislation to honor Supreme Court Justice and civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall. Today, we seek to honor the legacy of a great Marylander who had a tremendous impact on our Nation. Justice Marshall's devotion to civil rights and the rule of law continues to inspire generations of Americans.

As the Nation began to atone with the dark past of racial segregation and slavery, Justice Marshall held firm in his defense of equality under the law, most notably as the attorney who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. His role in this transformational case was only the beginning of an outstanding legal career defending the rights of all Americans.

Born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, MD, Justice Marshall was the child of working class parents and a product of Baltimore City Public Schools. Thurgood was named after his grandfather Thorney Good Marshall, who escaped slavery in Virginia and found his way to Baltimore, which at the time had the largest population of free African-Americans in the country.

In his early youth, he attended the P.S. 103, the Henry Highland Garnett School, the site at the center of our legislation. His early education was formative; he recalled that as punishment for misbehaving in class, Marshall's teacher made him sit alone and read and re-read the U.S. Constitution. He immediately took an interest in article III and the Bill of Rights, which sparked his legacy-defining pursuit of challenging the constitutionality of Jim Crow laws and using the courts as a tool for justice. Marshall had a reputation as a bright pupil, which he would continue to live up to in his years at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first degree-granting historically Black college and university (HBCU), where here attended college.

Following his graduation from Lincoln University, Justice Marshall would go on to enroll at Howard University School of Law after being denied admission to the University of Maryland School of Law on the basis of his race. Undeterred, Thurgood Marshall graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1933 at the top of his class. He was then admitted to the Maryland Bar and brought his talents back to Baltimore, where he would establish his own legal practice and volunteer for the city's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Just 2 years after becoming an attorney, Thurgood Marshall successfully sued the University of Maryland School of Law, along with his former Howard School of Law mentor and the special counsel of the NAACP, Charles Hamilton Houston, after the institution denied admission to another Black man simply because of his race. He would go on to continue working for Charles Houston in New York City and eventually succeed him as special counsel for the NAACP, before also becoming the director of the organization's legal defense fund. Over the course of his career, Marshall participated in several cases that established precedents for chipping away at Jim Crow laws in higher education, setting the stage for Brown v. Board of Education. During his tenure with the NAACP, Justice Marshall would litigate numerous civil rights cases, including 32 argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. A testament to his skill, Thurgood Marshall, proclaimed by many as ``Mr. Civil Rights,'' won all but 3 of those cases.

His character and legal prowess demonstrated in his early career would lead President John F. Kennedy to nominate him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Subsequently, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated the seasoned then-Judge Marshall to become the 32nd Solicitor General of the United States, a role in which he defended the Federal Government's initiatives to integrate society and protect the voting rights of minorities.

Mr. Marshall's outstanding career led to a nomination from President Johnson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and on October 2, 1967, he officially became the first African- American Justice in our Nation's history. For almost a quarter of a century, Thurgood Marshall served the nation honorably as an esteemed Justice who stood firmly with his principles and the Constitution.

The impact of Justice Marshall on Maryland and our Nation as a whole is one that must be celebrated and commemorated. That is why I am honored to work alongside my colleagues in the Maryland delegation to highlight the historical site that facilitated the education and growth of an American icon and that continues to serve the surrounding community to this day.

Public School 103 continues to endure and serve as a symbol of light in the Upton neighborhood of West Baltimore, thanks to the great work of Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, and the members of the Beloved Community Services Corporation (Beloved), the nonprofit organization arm of Union Baptist Church. Just as it provided a space for the great Justice Marshall to blossom into one of our Nation's greatest lawyers and civil rights leaders, P.S. 103 has the potential to connect visitors with remarkable history that can inspire the leaders of the future.

The Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site's affiliated area status would not only support the continued preservation of the physical structure where Justice Marshall spent his formative years as a pupil, but also allow Beloved Community Services the flexibility to serve as a dynamic community space for the surrounding neighborhood. Justice Thurgood Marshall continues to inspire and be an inspiration to generations of Americans working to form a more perfect union. Preserving Justice Marshall's alma mater, P.S. 103, is a fitting tribute to a great Marylander and highlights the importance of education in shaping our Nation's leaders.

Thurgood Marshall courageously challenged the legacy of Jim Crow and left behind his own legacy as a steadfast champion of equality and the law. His tenacity, talent, and dedication to a more perfect union continue to inspire Americans of all creeds, colors, and ages.

Madam President, I am pleased to join the Maryland delegation in introducing legislation to honor Supreme Court Justice and civil rights icon Thurgood Marshall. Today, we seek to honor the legacy of a great Marylander who had a tremendous impact on our Nation. Justice Marshall's devotion to civil rights and the rule of law continues to inspire generations of Americans.

As the Nation began to atone with the dark past of racial segregation and slavery, Justice Marshall held firm in his defense of equality under the law, most notably as the attorney who argued on behalf of the plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional. His role in this transformational case was only the beginning of an outstanding legal career defending the rights of all Americans.

Born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, MD, Justice Marshall was the child of working class parents and a product of Baltimore City Public Schools. Thurgood was named after his grandfather Thorney Good Marshall, who escaped slavery in Virginia and found his way to Baltimore, which at the time had the largest population of free African-Americans in the country.

In his early youth, he attended the P.S. 103, the Henry Highland Garnett School, the site at the center of our legislation. His early education was formative; he recalled that as punishment for misbehaving in class, Marshall's teacher made him sit alone and read and re-read the U.S. Constitution. He immediately took an interest in article III and the Bill of Rights, which sparked his legacy-defining pursuit of challenging the constitutionality of Jim Crow laws and using the courts as a tool for justice. Marshall had a reputation as a bright pupil, which he would continue to live up to in his years at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first degree-granting historically Black college and university (HBCU), where here attended college.

Following his graduation from Lincoln University, Justice Marshall would go on to enroll at Howard University School of Law after being denied admission to the University of Maryland School of Law on the basis of his race. Undeterred, Thurgood Marshall graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1933 at the top of his class. He was then admitted to the Maryland Bar and brought his talents back to Baltimore, where he would establish his own legal practice and volunteer for the city's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Just 2 years after becoming an attorney, Thurgood Marshall successfully sued the University of Maryland School of Law, along with his former Howard School of Law mentor and the special counsel of the NAACP, Charles Hamilton Houston, after the institution denied admission to another Black man simply because of his race. He would go on to continue working for Charles Houston in New York City and eventually succeed him as special counsel for the NAACP, before also becoming the director of the organization's legal defense fund. Over the course of his career, Marshall participated in several cases that established precedents for chipping away at Jim Crow laws in higher education, setting the stage for Brown v. Board of Education. During his tenure with the NAACP, Justice Marshall would litigate numerous civil rights cases, including 32 argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. A testament to his skill, Thurgood Marshall, proclaimed by many as ``Mr. Civil Rights,'' won all but 3 of those cases.

His character and legal prowess demonstrated in his early career would lead President John F. Kennedy to nominate him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Subsequently, President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated the seasoned then-Judge Marshall to become the 32nd Solicitor General of the United States, a role in which he defended the Federal Government's initiatives to integrate society and protect the voting rights of minorities.

Mr. Marshall's outstanding career led to a nomination from President Johnson to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and on October 2, 1967, he officially became the first African- American Justice in our Nation's history. For almost a quarter of a century, Thurgood Marshall served the nation honorably as an esteemed Justice who stood firmly with his principles and the Constitution.

The impact of Justice Marshall on Maryland and our Nation as a whole is one that must be celebrated and commemorated. That is why I am honored to work alongside my colleagues in the Maryland delegation to highlight the historical site that facilitated the education and growth of an American icon and that continues to serve the surrounding community to this day.

Public School 103 continues to endure and serve as a symbol of light in the Upton neighborhood of West Baltimore, thanks to the great work of Rev. Dr. Alvin C. Hathaway, and the members of the Beloved Community Services Corporation (Beloved), the nonprofit organization arm of Union Baptist Church. Just as it provided a space for the great Justice Marshall to blossom into one of our Nation's greatest lawyers and civil rights leaders, P.S. 103 has the potential to connect visitors with remarkable history that can inspire the leaders of the future.

The Justice Thurgood Marshall National Historic Site's affiliated area status would not only support the continued preservation of the physical structure where Justice Marshall spent his formative years as a pupil, but also allow Beloved Community Services the flexibility to serve as a dynamic community space for the surrounding neighborhood. Justice Thurgood Marshall continues to inspire and be an inspiration to generations of Americans working to form a more perfect union. Preserving Justice Marshall's alma mater, P.S. 103, is a fitting tribute to a great Marylander and highlights the importance of education in shaping our Nation's leaders.

Thurgood Marshall courageously challenged the legacy of Jim Crow and left behind his own legacy as a steadfast champion of equality and the law. His tenacity, talent, and dedication to a more perfect union continue to inspire Americans of all creeds, colors, and ages.