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Editorials/Columns
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Another View Of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
n recent days, much
has been said and written about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. In fact, on Monday night, I hap- pened to find myself watching The Jimmy Kimmel Show and the young man, Mr. Chad- wick Boseman, who is starring in the upcoming movie of the life of Jus- tice Marshall as the first African American Supreme Court Justice, was a guest.
As Mr. Boseman talked about the life and success of Justice Mar- shall, it brought to my mind the first time I had the opportunity to meet one of the most brilliant lawyers of our time.
Most people only re- member Justice Mar- shall in the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education Topeka, 347 U. S. 483 (1954, overturning Plessy V. Ferguson, which al- legedly ended racial seg- regation in our school systems throughout the United States, pursuant the 14th Amendment Due Process Clause.
Most people, includ- ing some lawyers failed to mention Justice Mar- shall was appointed by President John F. Kennedy, in 1961, to the United States Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit. In this capacity, he wrote over 150 deci- sions including support for the rights of immi- grants, limiting govern- ment intrusion in cases involving illegal search and seizure, double jeop- ardy, and right to pri- vacy issues.
In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, ap- pointed the Honorable Marshall as the United States Solicitor General.
As a young college student, in 1953, I was interested in the Civil Rights Movement. As a member of the Ten-
nessee State A&I March- ing Band, we traveled to Mount Bayou, Missis- sippi to conduct a voter’s education drive in con- junction with the NAACP. This is when I first had the privilege and opportunity to work alongside Justice Mar- shall when he was the Chief Counsel for the Legal Defense Fund for the NAACP. In this ca- pacity Attorney Marshall was victorious in 14 out of 19 cases before the United States Supreme Court!
This was during the time when Blacks were intimidated and killed for trying to exercise the right to vote. The Voting Rights Act, was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on Au- gust 6, 1965, aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local lev- els that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment, in 1870, to the Constitution of the United States. Looking over President John- son’s shoulder, were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil right leaders.
With the passing of the Voting Rights Act, Blacks were forced to tell how many bubbles were in a bar of soap, forced to recite the entire US Constitution and fruit- less questions that most whites were unable to answer. For this reason alone, no Black person, White women and the average White person should feel ashamed not to vote in every election.
As I reflect on the life of Justice Marshall, as the result of poor deci- sions, I found myself in the Florida penal sys- tem. I found myself sad- dened in my prison cell as I pinned a letter to U. S. Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall. In
my opinion, I said, “At- torney Marshall, I be- lieve the system was used to make it so that you can no longer repre- sent Black folks. As a So- licitor General, you must now represent all peo- ple.”
Later, the system ele- vated Thurgood Mar- shall, subsequently, to the United States Supreme Court. In my opinion, as I later viewed various photos of Justice Marshall, as a jurist for the highest court in the land, he appeared sad and heartbroken for leaving the courtroom as a fearless attorney to represent Blacks and others with little or no hope.
We realize Justice Marshall was one of the nine jurists in black robes and this places him in a very different position than when he appeared before the courts as a Defense At- torney for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
During a trip to New York, I made an attempt to talk with Justice Mar- shall, in order to con- firm my opinion as stated above. It was Jus- tices Marshall, Hugo Black and Earl Warren who inspired me to be- come a Certified Parale- gal, to assist fellow inmates and myself dur- ing our incarceration. (See Willie Gray Dixon, Jr. pro se v. State of Florida, 388 F 2d 424 (5th Circuit) 1968.)
I believe, in most cases when the system elevates one person, is not for the good of the masses of the people that they represent. Never- theless, history will re- member our friend, Justice Thurgood Mar- shall, as one of the great- est lawyers and Supreme Court Judges of our time.
REV. WILLIE DIXON
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C. Blythe Andrews 1901-1977 (1945)
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Domestic Violence: A Raw And Honest Look
“. . . And he hit her in the mouth with a rusty iron pipe. But it was not blood she shed, but love” are the beginning lines of “The Love Song of Deanne and Arthur-Lee,” a poem about a true-life relationship not written in love and understanding, but in confusion and violence.
According to its author, “No matter how many times Arthur-Lee (Deanne’s boyfriend) beat her, she never left his side and never reported his assaults to the po- lice.”
So goes the sadistic saga of millions of dating, living- together, and married couples whose relationships be- come violent, toxic, and senseless.
Call it Domestic Violence, an act that is probably as old as the human race itself, and a fact which re- searchers say is highest among cohabiting (non-mar- ried) couples.
Since October is officially the month against Domes- tic Violence, we take this opportunity to focus on that issue due to the prevalence of domestic abuse among Black couples.
For instance, data reveals Black women are mur- dered by males at three times the rate of white women. Sadly, children living in homes with domestic vio- lence are more likely: to suffer “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder” (PTSD); to have difficulty concentrating on school work; to have poor social skills; to be abused,
and, to become physical predators (bullies).
Indeed, like the topic of sex-abuse, many people
don’t want to talk about domestic violence.
However, verbal abuse is just as dangerous and ad-
dictive as is physical abuse.
Instead of fists, the verbal abuser uses words to de-
stroy their victims’ self-esteem and psyche.
What’s worse is the lie that love and control are one-
in-the-same.
“And he hit her in the mouth with a rusty iron pipe .
. .” then told her that he loved her. And she believed him!
Do you know somebody like that? (Is that you?) If so, get free help. Call this number: (813) 248-1050.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5
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