WHYY hosts screening event and panel discussion honoring the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall

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On Tuesday, WHYY hosted a special screening and panel discussion of the film “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect,” recognizing the life and legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall.

The one-hour documentary, directed by Alexis Aggrey and co-executive produced by Travis Mitchell and Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson, premiered on PBS on Sept. 9. The documentary explores the life and legacy of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice.

From an early age, Marshall was drawn to the law and the justice system, often visiting the local courthouse with his father and older brother to observe hearings. Known to be a rebel during his early life and education, Marshall graduated from Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University in 1930 with a bachelor’s degree in American literature and philosophy, and from Howard University School of Law in 1933.

Throughout his career as a lawyer, Marshall fought against segregation in primary and secondary education and was an active member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was also the founder of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Marshall is known for many landmark victories in civil rights cases, most notably in the case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. He later rose through the ranks of the federal judiciary, appointed as a judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, then as solicitor general by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. In 1967, Johnson nominated Marshall to the Supreme Court, making him the first person of color to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. He held that position until his retirement in 1991.

During the reception before the film’s screening, attendees gathered at WHYY’s headquarters to discuss Marshall’s accomplishments and the ongoing importance of his influence on civil rights and justice today.

“Thurgood Marshall was someone who I studied in law school and he’s been a role model and a guide for me in my own personal career,” said Brian Taylor, a civil rights attorney in Philadelphia who attended along with his wife, Monica Lynn Taylor, “just his strategy in dealing with the string of cases that that culminated in Brown v. Board of Education and I think it was a legal brilliance on his part.”

“He was denied entry into the University of Maryland School of Law, and despite that, he still kept pressing forward,” said attorney Zchagiel Monroe, who heard about the event through Facebook. “Quite frankly, he made being intelligent, academically sound and knowledgeable; he made it cool.”

After the 30-minute portion of the film that was shown, a panel discussion moderated by WHYY’s Studio 2 host, Cherri Gregg, included attorney Samantha Fitzpatrick, president of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia; Judge Kai Scott, district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Michael Coard, criminal defense attorney and host of “The Radio Courtroom” show on WURD Radio.

The panelists broke down their takeaways from the film along with their personal experiences in the field of law and the importance of being informed today.

For those who missed the event, the film will be available for viewing this weekend on WHYY TV12 on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m.