NAACP Legal Defense Fund Needs Money NOW
Press Release
August 18, 1955

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Press Releases, Loose Pages. NAACP Legal Defense Fund Needs Money NOW, 1955. 3a822f3f-bc92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/fef38b08-d41e-4f5f-8f08-141fb2b6e8bb/naacp-legal-defense-fund-needs-money-now. Accessed May 04, 2025.
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PRESS RELEASE @ e 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 Troasurer Press Relations NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND fivg 1h NEEDS MONEY Now Last year when the U. S. Supreme Court decided that racial segregation in public education violated the Constitution, Negroes throughout the country were elated. Few realized that this decision came about only after years and years of hard work by many, including large groups of volunteer lawyers and social scientists, Few realized the several hundred thousands spent on expenses in these cases. Hardly anyone ever paused to consider the threats and intimida- tions against the parents of the school children involved, Most Americans simply took all of this for granted, Now, after the last decision in these cases, the deep South is again showing its hand, At least two Negroes in Mississippi have been killed for insist- ing on the right to vote. White Citizens! Councils are cropping up all over the South, de- termined to destroy all economic advantages for Negroes. Governors and attorneys general have said repeatedly that they will litigate this matter for fifty or a hundred years, Louisiana has appropriated $100,000 to resist court actions in that state, Other states have assigned six to fifty lawyers to oppose cases in their states. Negro teachers are a intimidated and discharged. You have read about these and other thallenges in your own news- papers. You have felt sorry for these pebple. You are sure that the NAACP will meet these ever increasing challenges. Again, you are taking it as a matter of course because the NAACP has never let you down. I have news for you: We will not be able to meet these challengey unless we get the money to do it. We have always had difficulty meeting our regular budgets. We cannot meet this heavily financed new assault unless you stop taking us for granted and dig deep into your pockets -- and do it nowt Thurgood Marshall NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. 107 West 3rd Street New York 36, N,. Y, (Contributions are deductible for U.S, Income Tax Purposes.)