Legal Defense Fund Attacking Mississippi Jim Crow Schools
Press Release

Cite this item
-
Press Releases, Loose Pages. Legal Defense Fund Attacking Mississippi Jim Crow Schools, 1c9b38ba-bd92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/d2a96dde-66e7-4a82-8187-602848619e31/legal-defense-fund-attacking-mississippi-jim-crow-schools. Accessed July 20, 2025.
Copied!
PRESS RELEASE NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND TOCOLUMBUS CIRCLE + NEW YORK19,N.Y. © JUdson 6-8397 DR. ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS JACK GREENBERG CONSTANCE BAKER MOTLEY President Director-Counsel Associate Counsel LEGAL DEFENSE FUND ATTACKING MISSISSIPPI JIM CROW SCHOOLS Evers' Children Among Plaintiffs HOUSTCN---The tide of school integration flowed this week toward the South's last outpost: Mississippi. Attorney Derrick Bell of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund asked U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals here to consider an early judg. ment in behalf of 63 Negro students seeking admission to presently all white schools in Jackson, Biloxi and Leake County, Mississippi, Mr. Bell argued that admission during the current school year would save Mississippi "from the summer of tension” that would inevitably arise should September be named target month. Ironically, Darrell Keneyatta and Reene Denise Evers, children of murdered NAACP Field Secretary Medgar Evers, led the list of Jackson plaintiffs, Also seeking desegregated education opportunity are Shirley, Verna and Thomas Bailey, whose father Samuel Bailey is chief plaintiff in the suit which could end jim crow public transportation in that state. The three school suits were filed in Mississippi Federal Court during March and June of last year by Jack Young and R. Jess Brown, cooperating attorneys of the Legal Defense Fund. These actions were later dismissed by a Mississippi district court judge who maintained that the Negro plaintiffs had not re- quested transfers in accordance with the State Pupil Placement law. Legal Defense Attorneys then moved to the Court of Appeals where Mr. Bell pointed out that Negro parents had not requested transfers because Mississippi schools are completely jim crow. Thus, even if their requests were granted, only their children would be effected. This would spell little progress for the Missis- sippi Negro community, Jack Greenberg, director-counsel of the Legal Defense Fund and Constance Baker Motley, associate-counsel, are of counsel in the cases, = a0Es DEFENSE FUND GETS A NEW YEAR'S GIFT NEW YORK---The Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic (Prince Hall) Shrine, started the new year with a $3,162.60 contri- bution to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Charles Dargan, national director of the Prince Hall Masonic Legal Research and Education Fund for the Shriners said the annual gift is another expression of the concern of all branches of Prince Hall Masonry» - The presentation was made jointly to Jack Greenberg, director- counsel, Constance Baker Motley, associate counsel and Dr. John W. Davis, special director, teacher informationa and security, all of the Fund's staff, (more) Defense Fund Gets A New Year's Gift -2- Accompanying Mr. Dargan were the Honorable Noble, James Harold Johnston, grand master, Prince Hall Masons of New York; William C. Kilpatrick, Leon Berry, Alfred C. Fields, Kenneth A. Roane and Baxter F. Jackson, all Masonic leaders. = 30) = LEGAL DEFENSE FUND Be STILL GROWING NEW YORK---The NAACP Lezal Defense Fund continued its staff expansion this week with appoiitmeat of Charles Henry Jones, Jr., of Chicago, as an associate counsel. Announcement was made by Jack Greenberg, director-counsel of the Fund, who said that Attorney Jones is a product of the noted Chicago Firm of Rogers, Rogers, Strayhorn and Harth. The young attorney completed undergraduate study at the University of Chicago. He attended the College of Law of the Univer- sity of Illinois. Mr. Jones served on the Coordinating Council of Community Organizations which directs civil rights activities in Chicago. He hes also specialized in Negro voting problems as an associate editor of NEW UNIVERSITY THOUGHT MAGAZINE, a political science publication. - 30 =