In celebration of Black History Month, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman invites you to learn about three trailblazing black attorneys who changed the face of law in the United States.
Charlotte E. Ray
Charlotte E. Ray was
the first black female lawyer in the United States. Her story
begins with her father, Charles Bennett Ray, a prominent
abolitionist. She was born in New York City, and raised in
Washington, D.C. Ray completed her undergraduate education at what
is now the University of the District of Columbia. After graduating
in 1869, Ray started teaching at Howard University. While teaching,
she enrolled in the law school, allegedly under the alias
"C.E. Ray." She completed a three-year program and became
the first woman to graduate from Howard University's School of
Law in 1872. In that same year, she was admitted to the District of
Columbia Bar and admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of
the District of Columbia, after which Ray opened her own law
practice. Ray was a formidable and knowledgeable attorney with
great expertise; however, because of her race and sex, she was
unable to establish a sufficient client base to sustain her
practice. Eventually, she closed her practice, moved to New York
and returned to her teaching roots in the Brooklyn school system.
Charlotte E. Ray demonstrated that African Americans could practice
and excel in the field of law.
Fred David Gray
Fred Gray has been a
key figure in the legal and political spheres since the Civil
Rights Era. Born and raised in Alabama, Gray earned his
Bachelor's degree from the present-day Alabama State
University. At the advice of a teacher, Gray enrolled in Case
Western Reserve University School of Law, where he received his
J.D. in 1954. After passing the bar exam, he returned to his home
state and opened a law office. Gray started his career as a solo
practitioner and garnered much attention for his work with Martin
Luther King, Jr. and E.D. Nixon, another important figure in
organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott and prominent union
organizer. Gray argued many ground-breaking cases for civil rights,
including the defense of Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, Browder
v. Gayle (which desegrated the Alabama bus system), Dixon v.
Alabama (recognized the due process rights of students), and
Gomillion v. Lightfoot (forbidding states from gerrymandering to
disenfranchise voters based on race). Gray was an indefatigable
attorney who filed lawsuits to help desegregate over 100 school
systems, colleges, and universities in Alabama. He went on to run
for the Alabama House of Representatives. In 1970, he became one of
the first Black elected legislators in the state since
Reconstruction. He remained in the Alabama legislature until 2015,
before returning to practicing law full-time. Although he is 91
years old, Gray continues to practice full-time.
Constance Baker Motley
Constance Baker
Motley was an essential legal strategist during the Civil Rights
movement. She was born to West Indian parents in New Haven, CT. and
graduated high school with honors. She lacked the means to attend
college and instead went to work after finishing high school. She
was very active in her community and was a passionate speaker. Her
speaking abilities caught the attention of a local philanthropist
who offered to finance her undergraduate education. As a result,
she was able to attend Fisk University before transferring to New
York University where she earned her Bachelor's degree in 1943.
She continued her education at Columbia Law School, earning a
Bachelor of Law degree in 1946. During her second year at Columbia,
Future Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, hired Baker Motley
as a law clerk at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. After graduating
from Columbia, she joined the NAACP as a civil rights attorney. She
quickly climbed the ranks and was a lead trial attorney for a
number of the NAACP's early civil rights cases. Baker Motley
became the first black woman to argue before the Supreme Court in
the case of Meredith v. Fair in 1962. Baker Motley argued before
the Supreme Court ten times throughout her career and was
successful in nine of those cases. Her efforts contributed to the
desegregation of Southern society, from schools to lunch counters.
She left the NAACP when she was elected to the New York State
Senate in 1964, where she advocated for housing equality. She
stayed in the state legislature until 1965, when she was selected
to become Manhattan Borough President. Baker Motley did not stay
long in that role as President Johnson nominated her for a seat on
the District Court for the Southern District of New York. In 1966,
the Senate confirmed her appointment, making her the first black
female appointed to the federal judiciary. She remained on the
Court until her death in 2009.
As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman encourages you to recognize diversity and inclusion every month.
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