[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E156-E157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ICON, THOMAS N. 
                                  TODD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 15, 2024

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today, I want to pay tribute to a 
remarkable civil rights leader and social justice icon, Thomas N. Todd. 
Although his name may not be familiar to everyone, his contributions to 
social justice and equality in this country are remarkable and have 
benefited millions of people in ways few others have accomplished. Tom 
Todd was one of the most electrifying speakers of our time. His 
impressive oratorical skills were so impactful that his initials ``T-N-
T'' became synonymous with the powerful effect he had on his audiences.
  Tom Todd was born in Demopolis, Alabama, in 1938. He later moved to 
Chicago, Illinois, where he married Janice Roberts. They had two 
children together, Tamara Nicole and Tracey Newborn. Tom lived in 
Chicago until he passed away on February 8, 2024.
  As a child in Demopolis, Tom's family was poor. His father passed 
away shortly after his birth. Tom was raised by his mother and 
stepfather. Unfortunately, his mother also passed away when he was only 
20 years old. Due to his stepfather's illiteracy, Tom stayed in Mobile 
to help with the funeral and burial arrangements. He even considered 
dropping out of school to assist further. However, he eventually 
enrolled at Southern University in 1959, where he studied political 
science and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.
  After graduation, Todd returned to Mobile and worked odd jobs for 
nearly a year until a friend suggested he apply to law school. Todd 
returned to Southern University for law school in 1960 and was admitted 
solely on the recommendation of a dean who met Todd as an undergraduate 
and recognized his potential. There, law professors and students 
represented other students who had been arrested for sitting at whites-
only lunch counters at five-and-dime and drug stores--an act of civil 
disobedience aimed at protesting segregation in Baton Rouge. Todd 
actively participated in the first lawsuit regarding these protests to 
reach the U.S. Supreme Court, Garner v. Louisiana (1961). He graduated 
magna cum laude and passed the bar exam on his first attempt in 1963.
  Todd then secured a position at the solicitor's office in the U.S. 
Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., leaving that job in less than 
a year to train for the Judge Advocate General's Corps. He practiced 
law while serving in the United States Army from 1964 to 1967. That 
same year, he was appointed an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago. In 
1968, he made history by filing the first federal criminal case against 
a Chicago police officer for violating an individual's civil rights.
  According to United Press International, Todd's case was also the 
first indictment in the country against a law enforcement official 
under a new civil rights amendment to the federal criminal code. 
Chicago police officer Joseph Fine was accused of beating up Eldridge 
Gaston outside a South Side restaurant. Gaston died as a result of his 
injuries. Although the case ended in an acquittal, the indictment 
itself sent shockwaves through the Chicago Police Department and 
political establishment.
  In 1969, Todd opened an office devoted to civil rights that became 
the country's first local U.S. attorney's civil rights office. His next 
police brutality case would originate from a fight between black and 
white students at Chicago's Tilden High School, where police officers 
had allegedly beaten black students. A newspaper photographer captured 
one incident, which showed Officer James J. Gorman standing over 16-
year-old Roxanne Norfleet with his baton raised as she lay on the 
ground. Todd got that case to trial, but it ended in 1971 with a hung 
jury, though 11 panel members favored conviction.
  Tom Todd was admitted to many bars and courts, including the Supreme 
Court of Louisiana, the United States Court of Military Appeals, the 
Supreme Court of Illinois, and the United States Supreme Court. He was 
a distinguished black lawyer in the U.S. attorney's office--standing 
tall, fighting for police brutality victims, challenging the status 
quo, and prosecuting police brutality cases at a time when the families 
of murdered Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark had filed 
civil rights lawsuits against federal, state, and Chicago officials--a 
time when it was almost unheard of for a U.S. attorney's office to 
prosecute a police brutality case.
  Todd received honorary doctorates from Grambling State University in 
1987, Syracuse University in 1990, and Wilberforce University in 1993. 
Between 1970 and 1974, Todd taught at Northwestern University School of 
Law, becoming the school's first full-time black law professor. 
Genuinely interested in seeing young lawyers succeed, he was known to 
use a lot of anecdotes, legal stories, and significant cases in his 
teachings.
  Todd was also known for helping to improve programs at historically 
black colleges in Louisiana, ensuring they were on par with other

[[Page E157]]

schools in the state. Former Grambling State University President 
Joseph B. Johnson credits him for helping to secure $300 million in 
state funding that enhanced campus facilities and introduced graduate-
level courses.
  In the early 1980s, Todd became president of the local chapter of 
Operation Breadbasket and helped launch Operation PUSH, now known as 
the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He advocated for social change and economic 
empowerment.
  When Harold Washington ran for mayor in 1983, Todd headed the 
campaign's speakers bureau and served as Washington's surrogate. 
Because of his magnetism with audiences, he was often called on to warm 
up the crowd before Washington took the stage.
  Todd had a deep voice with a mesmerizing cadence that resembled the 
voice of James Earl Jones. His tone was powerful, fluctuating in waves 
and creating a fascinating rhythm. A Chicago journalist once described 
Todd's speaking style as ``a deep, rhythmic growl that carried a sense 
of the South's segregation history and the civil rights movement and 
conveyed a sense of urgency and anger about the present and the 
future.''
  Todd's booming voice got the attention of the iconic hip-hop group 
Public Enemy, who incorporated Todd's voice as a powerful tool in their 
1989 song ``Fight the Power'' for the first 16 seconds and also used 
his voice to sample ``Revolutionary Generation'' in 1990.
  Todd is reputed to have delivered speeches at every historically 
black college in the country where he would encourage students to let 
verbs like give, serve, and help guide their actions but to lead their 
lives defined by nouns like courage, commitment, and compassion.
  Tom Todd's journey was one of resilience, courage, and unwavering 
commitment to the principles of justice--challenging systemic 
injustices and uplifting marginalized communities. Through powerful 
oration and bold, courageous advocacy, he fought to dismantle barriers 
to equality, promote minority-owned businesses, and advocate for fair 
employment practices. Tom Todd transformed lives, empowered 
communities, and inspired a generation to stand up and fight for what 
is right. He leaves a profound and impactful legacy of lasting change 
that continues to shape our Nation's path forward.

                          ____________________