Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women LawyersJohn Clay Smith Black women lawyers are not new to the practice of law or to leadership in the fight for justice and quality. Black women formally entered the practice of American law in 1872, the year that Charlotte E. Ray became the first black woman to graduate from an American law school. Rebels in Lawintroduces some of these women and through their own writing tells a compelling story about the little-known involvement of black women in law and politics. Beginning with a short essay written in 1897, the writing collected by J. Clay Smith, Jr., tells us how black women came to the practice of law, the challenges they faced as women and as blacks in making a place for themselves in the legal profession, their fight to become legal educators, and their efforts to encourage other black women and black men to come to the practice of law. The essays demonstrate the involvement of black women lawyers in important public issues of our time and show them addressing the sensitive subjects of race, equality, justice and freedom. Drawing together many writings that have never been published or have been published in obscure journals or newspapers, Rebels in Law is a groundbreaking study. In addition, it offers historical background information on each writer and on the history of black women lawyers. Providing an opportunity to study the origins of black women as professionals, community leaders, wives, mothers, and feminists, it will be of interest to scholars in the fields of law, history, political science, sociology, black studies and women's studies. J. Clay Smith, Jr., is Professor of Law, Howard University Law School. He was formerly a member of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Dean of Howard University Law School, and President of the Washington Bar Association. He is the author of Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944 and numerous articles. |
Contents
V | 9 |
VI | 11 |
VII | 13 |
VIII | 16 |
X | 24 |
XI | 26 |
XII | 29 |
XIII | 32 |
LIV | 156 |
LV | 162 |
LVII | 165 |
LVIII | 167 |
LX | 169 |
LXI | 172 |
LXIII | 178 |
LXIV | 182 |
XV | 34 |
XVI | 36 |
XVII | 38 |
XVIII | 41 |
XIX | 47 |
XX | 49 |
XXII | 52 |
XXIII | 60 |
XXV | 64 |
XXVII | 70 |
XXVIII | 77 |
XXIX | 79 |
XXXI | 84 |
XXXIII | 86 |
XXXV | 90 |
XXXVI | 102 |
XXXVIII | 106 |
XXXIX | 111 |
XL | 113 |
XLI | 115 |
XLII | 117 |
XLIII | 123 |
XLIV | 128 |
XLV | 131 |
XLVII | 137 |
XLIX | 139 |
L | 141 |
LI | 144 |
LII | 147 |
LIII | 150 |
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administration admitted to practice African Americans Alabama appointed Attorney black community Black law firms Black lawyers black women lawyers Bork Chicago citizens civil rights Clarence Thomas Clerk College colored Constance Baker Motley Dean discrimination District of Columbia Elsie Austin Epsilon Sigma Iota equal Federal Female Female G.T. Peterson graduate of Howard Guinier Harvard Howard University institutions issue Judge Thomas's Justice Lani Guinier law graduate law professors Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers Lawyers legal profession Letcher Lisemby male lawyers minority NAACP National Bar Association Negro women Ollie May Cooper opportunity organization Patricia Roberts Harris Pauli Murray political practice law practice of law President problems race racial racism role School of Law served Sigma Iota Sorority social society supra note taught teacher teaching Thurgood Marshall tion U.S. Senate U.S. Supreme Court United vote Washington woman York
Popular passages
Page 3 - The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her.