[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 173 (Thursday, November 21, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Van Hollen):
  S. 5381. A bill to establish the Justice Thurgood Marshall National 
Historic Site in the State of Maryland and provide for its 
administration as an affiliated area of the National Park System, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. CARDIN. 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.
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