Ten Interesting Facts about Thurgood | Utah Shakespeare Festival (2024)
By Liz Armstrong
The one-man play,Thurgood,is a theatrical depiction of the life of Thurgood Marshall, the country’s first African American Supreme Court justice. Playing September 14 to October 8 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, it tells the story of a lawyer and civil rights activist who spent his life advocating for justice for all Americans. Interim Artistic Director Derek Charles Livingston will play Marshall in the production, but before you attend, here are some things you will find interesting.
1—The justice’s first name was was actually Thoroughgood, but in second grade, he got tired of writing his full name and shortened it to Thurgood.
2—Marshall was an exceptional lawyer, arguing thirty-two cases before the Supreme Court. Out of these cases, he prevailed in twenty-nine, giving him a success rate of over 90 percent. Becoming an attorney started at the dinner table as a child, where his father disputed most topics his son brought up.
3—He is most known for his pioneering of civil rights battles, but he also took on debates regarding police brutality, women’s rights, and the death penalty. His mother was a teacher, and so he also fought for equal pay for African-American teachers.
4—Marshall’s notable work—including theBrown v. Board of Educationcase—wasn’t the only thing memorable about him. He had a big personality too and was known to drink bourbon and tell stories full of lies with President Lyndon Johnson.
6—Marshall went to Lincoln University, where he originally planned to study dentistry. Instead, he graduated with a degree in literature and philosophy. He went on to study law at Howard University, where he graduated top of his class.
7—His first pick for law school was the University of Maryland, but he did not apply because of its segregation policy. Marshall’s “first big civil rights victory as an attorney,Murray v. Pearson,was against this very school,” according to legacy.com. This win resulted in equal education for generations to come.
8—In 1967, Marshall became the first African American to become a Supreme Court justice. When Marshall retired in 1991, Clarence Thomas replaced him and became the second.
9—Marshall received the United State’s highest civilian honor—the Presidential Medal of Freedom a few months after his death. It was posthumously awarded in 1994 by President Bill Clinton.
10—In 2008,Thurgoodpremiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre. In 2011, in celebration of Black History month, a screening of the film was hosted by the White House. This filmed version starred Laurence Fishburne.
To purchase tickets to Thurgood or any other plays at the Festival, visit bard.org or call 800-PLAYTIX.
Thurgood Marshall was a civil rights lawyer who used the courts to fight Jim Crow and dismantle segregation in the U.S. Marshall was a towering figure who became the nation's first Black United States Supreme Court Justice.
He also won the landmark Brown v. the Board of Education in 1954, which outlawed segregated schools and paved the way for the integration of all public facilities and businesses. His victories ultimately created legal protections for women, children, prisoners, and the homeless.
He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. In 1946, Marshall was also honored with the Spingarn Medal awarded by the National Association of Colored People (NAACP). In 1992, Marshall was honored with the Thurgood Marshall Award given by the American Bar Association.
Thurgood Marshall was born Thoroughgood Marshall on June 2, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. Tired of having his friends poke fun at his first name, he decided to try to improve the situation and, at the age of six, legally changed it to Thurgood.
1—The justice's first name was was actually Thoroughgood, but in second grade, he got tired of writing his full name and shortened it to Thurgood. 2—Marshall was an exceptional lawyer, arguing thirty-two cases before the Supreme Court.
In 1967, the President appointed him as the first African-American to be an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall's voice was a liberal one which held great influence early on in his term.
Thurgood Marshall was inspired by many people to pursue civil rights. As a young man, his family inspired him to work hard and never give up. Then as he went to school he was introduced to Charles Hamilton Houston. Houston would be Marshall's single largest professional inspiration.
Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-American justice.
Thurgood Marshall, a prominent figure in American history and the first African American Supreme Court Justice, once said, "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute." This powerful quote encapsulates the essence of empathy and compassion towards others.
One of the heroes in American history, Associate Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993) sought legal remedies against racial discrimination in education and health care.
He was the architect of the legal strategy that ended the country's official policy of segregation and was the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice. He served as Associate Justice from 1967-1991 after being nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Unveiled in 1996, this memorial honors the great civil rights leader who became the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. The memorial is erected on the site of the old Court of Appeals building where Marshall argued some of his early civil rights cases.
As an attorney fighting to secure equality and justice through the courts, Thurgood Marshall helped build the legal foundation for Martin Luther King's challenges to segregation.
After completing high school in 1925, Thurgood followed his brother, William Aubrey Marshall, at the historically black Lincoln University in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
With the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law as his guideposts, Marshall was a dedicated student. He graduated from Baltimore's Frederick Douglass High School in 1925 and then from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania in 1930.
The main idea of Thurgood Marshall's speeches was the importance of civil rights. Toward that end, he emphasized the idea of the Constitution as a living document and the significance of the individual. The defense of democracy and of equal justice under the law required constant vigilance.
On May 17, The Episcopal Church celebrates the Feast of Thurgood Marshall, an Episcopalian who became the first African-American justice appointed to the United States Supreme Court. The St.
His representations sometimes put him in personal danger. During one case in Florida, where Marshall represented four Black men wrongfully accused of raping a white woman, Marshall received death threats from the Ku Klux Klan. Marshall, however, refused to be intimidated in his pursuit of justice.
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