Remarks of Thurgood Marshall - Before Philadelphia Cotillion

Press Release
December 30, 1954

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  • Press Releases, Loose Pages. Remarks of Thurgood Marshall - Before Philadelphia Cotillion, 1954. fb06b9ea-bb92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/e7bc4e36-b175-4335-ab97-3e28e303c324/remarks-of-thurgood-marshall-before-philadelphia-cotillion. Accessed May 20, 2025.

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NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND 
107 WEST 43 STREET © NEW YORK 36, N. Y. © JUdson 6-8397 

ARTHUR B. SPINGARN THURGOOD MARSHALL 
President Director and Counsel 

WALTER WHITE ROBERT L. CARTER 
Secretary Assistant Counsel 

ALLAN KNIGHT CHALMERS ARNOLD DE MILLE 
Treasurer Press Relations 

REMARKS OF THURGOOD MARSHALL - BEFORE PHILADELPHIA COTILLION 

December 30, 195i, 

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 30.--I am indeed grateful to the Philadelphia 

Cotillion Society and the citizens of Philadelphia for this award of 

the Emerald Cross of Malta, I shall never forget this occasion, 

However, in accepting the Award, I must make it clear to all con- 

cerned that the worl: that has been accomplished in the field of 

bettering conditions for Negro Americans, hes been made possible only 

through the unselfish cooperation of a staff of lawyers and others 

working full-time, along with that of a much larger croup of lawyers 

and social scientists who have worked part-time without pay of any 

kind, This combination of men and women has «aade it possible to 

ale the “cains we have made to date. Over and beyond this group of 

technicians of one sort or another is the full backing of the 

N.A.A.C.P. anc its branches throughout the country. 

On every occasion of this type we must recognize that none of 

this would be possible without the courage of the Negroes cirectly 

involved in litigation. For example, Negro parents anc school chil- 

dren in Clarendon County, South Carolina, Prince Edward County, 

Virginia and iilford, Jelaware. They not only had the courage of 

their convictions to stand up and be counted in the fight against 

discrimination but insisted on bringing all law suits in the deepest 

of the Deep South and have stood by despite all kinds of threats 

anc intimidation through a long period of litigation lasting more 

than five years. The least that any real American can do is to 

help in every way possible to support these true Americans in ther 

fight to make our Constitution a meaningful instrument for the free- 

com of all mankind, and to protect the dignity of the individual 

American wit’.out regard to race or color. That is all that we have 

been trying to co, This Award will do much to inspire accelerated 

progress toward the goal we are all so conficent of achieving, 

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