Greenberg Statement - LDF Institute Cites Creative Use of Law by Dr. Martin King
Press Release
May 25, 1968
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Press Releases, Volume 5. Greenberg Statement - LDF Institute Cites Creative Use of Law by Dr. Martin King, 1968. b4160ca8-b892-ee11-be37-6045bddb811f. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/25636418-93fc-4147-a8ca-ce79a13f18cc/greenberg-statement-ldf-institute-cites-creative-use-of-law-by-dr-martin-king. Accessed November 23, 2025.
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egal iD... FE.
PRESS RELEASE
President
Hon. Francis E. Rivers
Director-Counsel
Jack Greenberg
FOR RELEASE Director, Public Relations
NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. SATURDAY Tene DeVeew fe.
10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 * JUdson 6.8397 May 25, 1968 NIGHT NUMBER 712-749-6487
LDF INSTITUTE CITES
CREATIVE USE OF LAW
BY DR. MARTIN KING
NEW YORK---Some 1300 guests attending the LDF's Institute on the Uses
of Law in Combatting Racism and Poverty here this week heard an
assessment of the late Martin Luther King's contribution to American
law.
Jack Greenberg, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and
Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) made the statement.
“The striking thing about Dr. King, particularly to his lawyers,"
Mr. Greenberg said, “is that his life helped determine the outer
reaches, the full potential, of the law in his time."
Mr. Greenberg cited the collaboration of LDF attorneys and the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference from Montgomery,
St. Augustine, Albany, Birmingham, Selma, Chicago, Memphis, and
elsewhere.
"Out of this intimate collaboration," Mr. Greenberg added, “I
learned that Martin King had a deep reverence for the law.
"The spectacular publicity given to his avowals of the right of
civil disobedience was far out of proportion to attention accorded
his dedication to lawful process."
The LDF Institute brought together a national array of specialists
in urban problems for a series of five roundtable discussions.
Gary Mayor Richard G. Hatcher addressed the overflow luncheon on
“Three Forces for Change," which was an analysis of black power ad-
vocates, liberals (which included some Negro groups), and white
radicals.
The following were the roundtable discussions and participants:
"The Police, The Courts, and The Black Community:" discussion
leader Cecil Poole, U.S. attorney in San Francisco, was joined by
Michael Meltsner, LDF attorney; Dr. John P. Spiegel, director,
Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University; and
Roger Wilkins, director, Community Relations Service, U.S. Department
of Justice;
"Rebuilding The Cities: Urban Renewal, Highways, ‘Model Cities:'
discussants were Michael Davidson, LDF attorney; Charles Hamilton,
head of the Department of Political Science, Roosevelt University;
William Rascoe, president, Ossining, N.Y. NAACP;
"Pipelines of Poverty--Rural Slum to Urban Ghetto:" discussion
leader Anthony Amsterdam, professor, University of Penna. Law School
was joined by Thomas I, Atkins, City Councilor, Boston; Jean Fairfax,
director, LDF Division of Legal Information and Community Service;
Marian Wright, LDF attorney;
"The Rights of the Poor:" © discussion leader Edward V. Sparer,
lecturer in law, Yale University Law School, was joined by Leroy
Clark, LDF attorney; Jean Cahn, professor Howard University Law
School; John W. Walker, commissioner, Ark. Constitutional Revision
Study Commission, and Little Rock attorney;
"No Jobs--Low Status Jobs--Shrinking Income:" discussion leader
Donald Hollowell, southeast regional director, Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, was joined by Robert Belton, LDF attorney;
Henry Marsh, member, Richmond, Va. City Council; Joseph Herrera,
director, Operation Service, Employment and Redevelopment, Denver.
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