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I want to learn more about black lawyers and their experience in the 1930s .

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According to the U.S. Census, in 1930, there were only 1247 black lawyers in the entire United States in 1930, out of a total number of 160,605 lawyers.  Of the 1247, 1223 were male and only 24 were female.

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African-American lawyers were a scarce commodity in 1930.

A recent post on the ConLawBlog posed the question of how many African-American lawyers there were in the United States in 1930. This is a subject that I have been studying for some time, and thanks to a heads up from Professor Idleman, I was able to answer the question.

According to the U.S. Census, in 1930, there were only 1247 black lawyers in the entire United States in 1930, out of a total number of 160,605 lawyers. Of the 1247, 1223 were male and only 24 were female.

Even though the Great Migration had begun after World War I, the bulk of the African-American population still lived in the South in 1930. However, thanks to racial prejudice and limited economic opportunities below the Mason-Dixon line, a significant majority of black lawyers lived outside the South.

The largest concentrations of black male lawyers was in Illinois, which had 187 male African-American attorneys.

Other states with significant numbers were New York (117); Ohio (94); Michigan (63); and Indiana (62). The only Southern jurisdictions with comparable numbers were the District of Columbia (94); and Virginia (57).

Complete state-by-state breakdowns for the 24 females are not provided in the published Census Reports for 1930. The largest number of black female lawyers appears to have been in the District of Columbia, where there were four.

As a percentage of total lawyers, black male lawyers accounted for more than 2% of total male lawyers only in the District of Columbia (2.8%) and Virginia (2.4%). If female lawyers are included - and the number of female lawyers in those two jurisdictions is available - the percentage of black lawyers in each of those two jurisdictions actually goes up slightly, but was still less than 3%.

Nowhere was the absence of black lawyers in 1930 more shocking than in the Deep South. In spite of the large black population, proportionately much larger than it is today, Alabama had only 4 black lawyers, while Mississippi, Louisiana, and Florida had only 6, 8, and 10, respectively. The totals for Georgia and South Carolina were just 14 and 13.

Black lawyers were more numerous in the other former Confederate states, but only slightly: North Carolina (27), Tennessee (26), Arkansas (16), and Texas (20).

Not surprisingly, given the small pre-World War II black population of Wisconsin, black lawyers were scarce in the Badger State. According to the 1930 Census, there were only three black male lawyers in Wisconsin in 1930, although there was also at least one black female attorney, former Marquette law student Mabel Raimey. (The three black male lawyers included law partners George Heriot DeReef, A.B. Nutt, and James Weston Dorsey, and Ambrose B. Nutt, all of Milwaukee.)

By way of comparison, Minnesota had 11 black lawyers in 1930, while Iowa had 7. North and South Dakota had none.

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African-American lawyers were a scarce commodity in 1930. A recent post on the ConLawBlog posed the question of how many African-American lawyers there were in the United States in 1930. This is a subject that I have been studying for some time, and thanks to a heads up from Professor Idleman, I was able to ...

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Black lawyers changed the world by shaping the landscape of the law in the United States, and changing perspectives of racial equality everywhere

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In honor of Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, we are celebrating the contributions of African Americans, not just to our country's history and culture, but to the legal profession. These black lawyers changed the world by shaping the landscape of the law in the United States, and changing perspectives of racial equality everywhere. Don't forget to watch the accompanying video at the end of this post.

Macon Bolling Allen: First African American Lawyer and Judge in the United States

In the 1840s, Allen, a schoolteacher from Indiana, began an apprenticeship to a prominent attorney and abolitionist in Maine. His boss encouraged him to take the Maine bar examination, and in 1844, Allen became the first African American man licensed to practice law in the country.
It was difficult for a black man to attract clients in mostly white Maine, so he moved to Boston, but continued to encounter racism there. Undeterred, he passed a rigorous examination to become a Massachusetts Justice of the Peace, or civil court judge.
The 1848 Dred Scott ruling meant Allen was not considered a U.S. citizen, but he still became the first black judge in the U.S.
After the Civil War, Allen moved to South Carolina and became a partner in the first U.S. law firm led by black individuals. In 1874, he was elected as a probate court judge in Charleston County, where he served until 1878. He later moved to Washington D.C. as an attorney for the Land and Improvement Association. Altogether, Allen worked in the legal profession for 50 years.

Charlotte E. Ray: First Female African American Lawyer in the U.S.

Raised in a progressive family, Ray attended one of the few schools in the country that allowed black women at the time. She went on to train as a teacher at Howard University, a historically black college in New York. But Ray wanted to practice law, so she began taking law classes there. It is said that she applied for the bar under the name "C.E. Ray" to disguise her gender; others dispute this, as the bar had recently begun admitting women. Either way, in 1872, she became the first black woman to earn a law degree and practice law in the U.S.
Ray began an independent commercial law practice and was known for her authoritative legal knowledge and eloquence when arguing cases. Although she was said to be " one of the best lawyers on corporations in the country, " due to racial prejudice and sexism, she couldn't attract enough clients to support herself. She became a teacher and an activist for women's suffrage and equality for black women.

Jane Bolin: First Black Woman to Graduate from Yale Law School and Become a U.S. Judge

When Jane Bolin was at Wellesley College, an advisor discouraged her from applying to Yale Law School, because of her race and gender. She applied anyway and was accepted.
At the time, she was the only black woman in her class. She graduated in 1931, and a year later, passed the New York City Bar examination and began practicing law. In 1939, when New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia appointed her to a judicial position in the Domestic Relations Court, Bolin became the first black woman to serve as a U.S. judge.
She served on the Family Court bench for four decades, advocating for racial justice and children's rights.

Charles Hamilton Houston: "The Man Who Killed Jim Crow"

When Houston, an English professor, was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Infantry in World War I, he experienced such blatant bigotry that he vowed to "study law and use my time fighting for men who could not strike back." He enrolled at Harvard Law School, and became the first African American to serve as editor of the Harvard Law Review. He earned a Juris Doctor degree in 1923 and joined the Washington, D.C. bar in 1924.
As vice-dean and later dean of Howard University School of Law, Houston made that institution a premier training center for black lawyers, where his students, many of whom, including Thurgood Marshall, became important players in the Civil Rights Movement.
As the first special counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Houston played a role in nearly every civil rights case tried before SCOTUS between 1930 and 1950. In Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, Houston successfully argued that since Plessy v. Ferguson required "separate but equal" accommodations for people of color, it was unconstitutional to exclude blacks from a state law school if no comparable school existed in the state.
His strategy was to prove it was costlier to create parallel schools than to allow integration, and it worked.

Thurgood Marshall: United States' First Black Supreme Court Justice

Born in Baltimore, the grandson of a slave, Marshall applied to University of Maryland Law School in 1930. They denied him acceptance because of his race.
Instead, he went to Howard University Law School and studied under Charles Hamilton Houston. After passing the bar, Marshall successfully sued the University of Maryland for refusing to admit another black student.
After Marshall led the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education case before the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), which outlawed racial segregation in schools, President Kennedy appointed Marshall to the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. The decisions he wrote included upholding immigrant rights and the right to privacy, and limiting government intrusion in illegal search. In 1965, President Johnson appointed Marshall to the office of U.S. Solicitor General, where he won 14 of 19 cases he argued before SCOTUS.
In fact, Marshall represented and won more Supreme Court cases than anyone else in history. He was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1967, and retired in 1991. He died in 1993.

Barbara Jordan: First African American Woman in the Texas State Senate, Represent the South in Congress, and Speak at a Democratic National Convention

Barbara grew up in Houston's Fifth Ward, where everyone " always knew she was gonna be somebody." Because of segregation, she was barred from the University of Texas at Austin, so she attended Texas Southern University, the "separate but equal" Austin law school for black students. In her freshman year, her debate coach told her she wasn't good enough to compete. She defied him by later leading TSU's debate team to a national championship.
After graduating magna cum laude, Jordan attended Boston University School of Law as the only woman in her class. After she graduated in 1959, she started a private law practice in Houston and won a Texas state senate seat in 1966. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, she took the opportunity to honor his legacy with a stirring speech at a Houston memorial service.
Then, she became the first woman elected in her own right to represent Texas in Congress, and the first black Congresswoman to represent the Deep South. Her 1974 speech persuading Americans to support Nixon's impeachment ranks as one of the top speeches of the 20th century. In 1976, she made history when she was the Democratic National Convention's keynote speaker.

While in Congress, Jordan worked on over 300 pieces of legislation, many of which still stand. After she retired, President Clinton appointed Jordan to chair the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. Barbara Jordan died in 1996.

U.S. Laws and Landmark Supreme Court Decisions on Racial Equality

Dred Scott v. Sandford: 1857 SCOTUS ruling that African American ancestors of slaves were not citizens and had no rights or privileges except what those in power chose to grant.

Thirteenth Amendment: 1865 amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery within the United States.

Fourteenth Amendment: 1868 constitutional amendment granting citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the U.S., including former slaves, guaranteeing them equal protection under the law.
"Jim Crow" Laws: Between 1870 and 1965, Jim Crow laws mandated racial segregation in all public facilities, mostly in former confederate states.

Plessy v. Ferguson: In 1896, SCOTUS ruled the Fourteenth Amendment did not require social equality between races and enforced "equal, but separate accommodations" for black citizens.
Shelley v. Kraemer: In 1911, SCOTUS held that state enforcement of racially restrictive housing covenants is unconstitutional.
Brown v. Board of Education: In 1954, SCOTUS ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," and that legal segregation was unconstitutional.
Civil Rights Act of 1964: Ended segregation in all public places nationwide and banned employment discrimination due to race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
Voting Rights Act of 1965: Banned literacy tests or tactics used to keep blacks and minorities from voting, and authorized federal oversight into state and local elections. -
Loving v. Virginia: The 1967 ruling: "Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State."
Shelby County v. Holder: In 2013, SCOTUS invalidated the section of the Voting Rights Act allowing federal oversight to prevent discrimination in state and local elections, claiming that it was "based on 40 year-old facts having no logical relationship to the present day."
At TorkLaw, we firmly believe that outstanding legal representation is not determined by factors such as race, sex, or religion. We are proud of the fact that our team comprises incredible men and women from diverse backgrounds, and hold to various beliefs and world views. We are all dedicated to providing world-class legal representation for our clients.

Click below to watch a video about more African American trailblazers:

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Black History Month: African American Lawyers Who Changed the World - TorkLaw

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In honor of Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, we are celebrating the contributions of African Americans, not just to our country's history and culture, but to the legal profession. These black lawyers changed the world by shaping the landscape of the law in the United States, and changing perspectives of racial equality everywhere.

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Britannica Explores

Meet extraordinary women who dared to bring gender equality and other issues to the forefront. From overcoming oppression, to breaking rules, to reimagining the world or waging a rebellion, these women of history have a story to tell.

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Charlotte E. Ray | American lawyer and teacher

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Charlotte E. Ray, American teacher and the first black female lawyer in the United States. Ray studied at the Institution for the Education of Colored Youth in Washington, D.C., and by 1869 she was teaching at Howard University. There she studied law, receiving her degree in 1872. Her admission

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Graphic by Sara Wadford.
February is Black History Month, a time to honor the heritage and triumphs of African-American people from the past to the present. From abolitionists to modern social justice advocates, the list of African-American trailblazers is extensive.

As a tribute to Black History Month, the ABA Journal decided to narrow our focus and honor 14 groundbreaking black lawyers-including two past ABA presidents, Dennis Archer and Paulette Brown. Archer was the first black president and a recipient of the 2016 ABA Medal, the association's highest award; Brown was the ABA's first female black president.

With JDs in hand, these 14 attorneys defied adversity to become pioneers in their fields. Check out the gallery below to discover how each of these black lawyers made history.

14 Groundbreaking Black Lawyers

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These 14 black lawyers broke down barriers and made history (gallery)

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Graphic by Sara Wadford. February is Black History Month, a time to honor the heritage and triumphs of African-American people from the past to the present. From abolitionists to modern social justice advocates, the list of African-American trailblazers is extensive.

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This week we're hearing from guest writer Stephanie Nweke about five black lawyers you may not have heard about but who have had a big impact on the legal world.
Black History Month is a time of celebration of the stride black people have made and continue to make in this country. But, the celebration doesn't stop in February! Many people mistakenly think that Black History exists apart from U.S. History. Black History is an intricate part of U.S. History, which is why we should be more knowledgeable about black history even after February ends. Today I want to spotlight five black attorneys who have had a lasting impact on this country.

According to an ABA 2019 demographics survey, 5% of attorneys in the United States are Black or African American. My goal is that this post not only educates you, but also reminds you of the urgent significance of having a diverse and inclusive legal profession.

1. Charles Hamilton Houston (1895-1950)

Charles Hamilton Houston is most known for dismantling Jim Crow and mentoring Thurgood Marshall, who went on to be the first African American Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Houston attended Harvard Law School and was the first black man to become editor of the Harvard Law Review. He went on to work with the NAACP as its first special counsel and designed the organization's legal strategy to further advance civil rights. He had a successful career in challenging several cases before the Supreme Court and Thurgood Marshall continued his legacy.

2. Fred David Gray, Sr. (1930-Present)

Fred David Gray, Sr. is most known for being a prominent lawyer during the Civil Rights Movement. Not only did he represent the plaintiffs from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, but he also worked with Martin Luther King Jr., and defended Rosa Parks after she was arrested during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Gray received a judicial nomination from President Carter and later became the first black president of the Alabama Bar Association. Fred David Gray, Sr. also won several awards for his work during the Civil Rights Era and was portrayed by Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the Academy Award nominated film, Selma.

3. Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911)

Charlotte E. Ray became the first black female lawyer in the United States in 1872. She attended Howard School of Law and was the first woman admitted to the D.C. Bar and the Supreme Court of D.C.

Although the racial discrimination Ray faced prevented her from actively practicing, she continued her career as a teacher. Because of Ray's immense determination and perseverance, thousands of other black female attorneys have successful practices in this country today.

4. Constance Baker Motley (1921-2005)

Constance Baker Motley is well known for the essential role she played with the NAACP and its legal strategies, primarily the case involving James Meredith. Meredith was supported by the 5 th Circuit of Appeals to attend the University of Mississippi during the fight to end desegregation. Motley also represented Martin Luther King Jr. during her career.

Motley was later the first black woman elected to New York's State Senate and Manhattan's Borough President. Constance Baker Motley was also the first black woman to be appointed to the federal judiciary and used her influence as a judge to continually advance the fight for civil right.

5. Eunice Carter (1899-1970)

Eunice Carter is most known as one of the first black women to receive a law degree in New York and the attorney that convicted a big-time mobster, Charles "Lucky" Luciano. She graduated from Fordham University in New York. Not only was Carter an active and successful prosecutor, but she also served in the Pan-African Congress and the United Nations.

Ultimately, Carter used her legal education and influence to advocate for women's' rights through service on several international organizations relating to advancing the status of women.

By learning about these important lawyers, hopefully you'll be inspired to find out more about the lesser known, but important voices in the legal world.

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5 Black Lawyers You Didn't Know Changed History - The Girl's Guide to Law School®

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This week we're hearing from guest writer Stephanie Nweke about five black lawyers you may not have heard about but who have had a big impact on the legal world. Black History Month is a time of celebration of the stride black people have made and continue to make in this country.

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Make sure you have 5 resources.
Resources from .gov , .org and .net are really good resources to use.

Complete your 5 facts and make sure you they are specific. The facts should be a summarization of the information you found. Do not copy and paste from a source. To assist with making sure your facts are specific, include dates, years, names and locations. If you're using a quote make sure you have used quotation marks.