Name a civil rights leader. Maybe you remember Martin Luther King Jr. Perhaps you know Rosa Parks. Yet many others worked to give Black people equal rights. One was Constance Baker Motley. The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) just honored her. It gave her a stamp.
Constance Baker Motley was the first Black woman to argue a case at the Supreme Court. That’s America’s top court! She was also the first Black woman to be a judge. Motley used the law to end . The USPS showed off her stamp on January 31.
Motley was born in 1921 in Connecticut. Growing up, she rarely had to deal with racist laws. That changed when she traveled to Tennessee. There was still segregation there. Motley had to ride in a train car for Black people only. She said she felt “frightened and humiliated.” Motley helped make sure other Black people would not feel the same way.
In 1945, Motley began working for Thurgood Marshall. (He was the first Black judge for the Supreme Court.) They were at the NAACP. Motley was a civil rights lawyer. Motley sued a college that didn’t allow Black students. She also represented Martin Luther King Jr.
Motley argued 10 cases before the Supreme Court. She won nine.
But Motley was more than a great lawyer. She was a lawmaker. In 1964, she joined the New York State Senate. She was the first Black woman to do that. In 1965, Motley became the president of Manhattan. That’s a part of New York City. She was the first woman with that job.
In 1966, Motley became a judge on the U.S. District Court. That made her the first Black woman on the federal bench. She rose to chief judge in 1982. Then she became senior judge in 1986.
The USPS Motley’s stamp in New York City. People spoke about her. One was Charly Palmer. He is the stamp’s artist. Palmer called Motley “one of the greatest American heroes.” He called her “an inspiration.” Why? Palmer explained it’s “for her bravery, strength, calmness, and intelligence.”
Constance Royster is Constance Baker Motley’s niece. “It never felt like Motley was a household name,” said Royster. Yet she explained that behind many civil rights leaders “was a great servant of the law: Constance Baker Motley.”
Motley died in 2005. But her stamp can be used “forever.” And now people will remember Constance Baker Motley’s name — forever.
Updated February 15, 2024, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Russell Kahn (Russ)
