Strategy to Fight Administration Tactics in School Desegregation Cases Mapped by Legal Defense Fund
Press Release
May 18, 1972

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. Strategy to Fight Administration Tactics in School Desegregation Cases Mapped by Legal Defense Fund, 1972. 2f9b38ba-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/15962c35-0870-4b58-bed2-b01a1c585c10/strategy-to-fight-administration-tactics-in-school-desegregation-cases-mapped-by-legal-defense-fund. Accessed April 27, 2025.
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PressRelease B Sp. xe Se FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, May 18, 1972 STRATEGY TO FIGHT ADMINISTRATION TACTICS IN SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASES MAPPED BY LEGAL DEFENSE FUND NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Manpower and financial resources previously intended for other programs must now be utilized to combat Nixon Administration plans to Oppose further school integra- tion, it was announced today by NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund director-counsel Jack Greenberg. Speaking at a press confer- ence held in Fund offices at 10 Columbus Circle in New York City, Mr. Greenberg said "the President's busing speech has seriously affected the priorities of the Legal Defense Fund as projected for the next year. We had reason to believe that Supreme Court decisions in the Charlotte and Mobile school cases would finally enable us to turn the corner toward complete desegregation of schools in the South at the end of the 1971-72 school year." Cited as examples of high priority LDF educational programs which may be temporarily cut back or delayed by this reallocation of the organization's resources were the following: - Improvement of the quality of integrated education throughout the South, so that black children would not be subjected to discriminatory disciplinary proceedings; - Insuring that black teachers and principals would not be demoted and fired on a discriminatory basis; - Mounting efforts against school segregation in the North, such as cases already brought in Denver and Detroit; and - Securing maximum educational opportunities and insuring a leadership role for blacks in higher education, as well as (more) NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | 10 Columbus Circle | New York, N.Y. 10019 | (212) 586-8397 . William T. Coleman, Jr. - President Jack Greenberg - Director-Counsel SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASES PAGE 2 supporting efforts of formerly all black public colleges in developing new roles of service to the total community. "The present situation is forcing us to divert manpower and funds which would be put into those projects," Greenberg stated, "and to take lawyers away from employment and housing cases and cases involving equal administration of justice. These resources must now be devoted to holding the line in schools." He further stated that the Administration already has entered, or signified entering, school cases against LDF or against black plaintiffs in Detroit, Forth Worth, Oklahoma City, Newport News, Richmond, Dallas, Nashville and Greenwood, among others. "As a result of earlier Administration efforts against integration we have had to enter government brought cases such as Tulsa, Austin and Corpus Christi." In addition, according to Greenberg, school boards that desire to maintain segregation have been encouraged to litigate further in such places as Memphis and Las Vegas. Acting Attorney General Kleindienst testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that 157 school cases are subject to being reopened under the President's proposed busing legislation and, indeed, the number May run higher than that." Most of the 157 cases he referred to are Legal Defense Fund cases. But even in the cases which are not, Greenberg went on to say, "unless we appear on behalf of the rights of black children, the United States, now committed to oppose complete integration, hardly can be counted on to do anything other than take a view opposite from ours." Last year the budget of the Legal Defense Fund was $3,930,000, $1,014,000 of which was devoted to educational pro- grams, which mainly involved training black law students and lawyers. The balance of $2,916,000 was divided among cases in (more) SCHOOL DESEGREGATION CASES PAGE 3 education, employment, housing, criminal law, including LDF's capital punishment program, prison administration and other legal areas. Noting the impact on LDF's budget generated by Administra- tion resistance, Greenberg said "as we become involved in desegre- gating large urban centers, north and south, and as we attempt to anticipate arguments which the government has raised against us, the cost of trying a school desegregation suit rises -- for we must make increasingly detailed trial court records using a great deal of expensive statistical demonstrations and expert witness testimony." Contact: Ed Gant Director, Public Information (212) 586-8397 (914) 949-3128 (evenings) NOTE: Please bear in mind that LDF is a completely separate and distinct organization even though we were established by the NAACP and those initials are retained in our name. Our correct designation is NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., frequently shortened to LDF.