Strategy to Fight Administration Tactics in School Desegregation Cases Mapped by Legal Defense Fund

    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 

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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 

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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.