Black History: Special Delivery!
Belford Vance Lawson Jr. was a pioneering civil rights attorney whose legal victories helped dismantle segregation in public spaces. In 1950, he became the first Black attorney to argue and win a case before the U.S. Supreme Court in Henderson v. United States, a landmark ruling that struck down racial segregation in railroad dining cars. His success in this case set an important precedent for future civil rights litigation. Born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1909, Lawson was a dedicated lawyer activist. He earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law.
Before his Supreme Court victory, Lawson was instrumental in economic activism. In 1933, he co-founded the National Negro Alliance (NNA), an organization dedicated to fighting employment discrimination. The NNA’s “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” campaign used boycotts, picketing, and legal action to pressure white-owned businesses to hire Black workers. This strategy successfully led to changes in hiring policies, particularly in Washington, D.C., and laid the foundation for later civil rights boycotts like the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955–56).
Beyond his legal work, Lawson served as president of the NAACP’s Washington, D.C. branch. Belford Lawson was married to Marjorie McKenzie Lawson, a trailblazing lawyer, judge, and advisor to U.S. presidents. Together, they were a powerful force in civil rights and legal advocacy. Belford V. Lawson Jr. passed away in 1985.
Another installment of melanated mail has been delivered. Ponder, reflect, and pass it on.
Sources:
Henderson v. United States, 339 U.S. 816 (1950). https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/339/816
Morris, Aldon. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement: Black Communities Organizing for Change. Free Press, 1984.Smith, J. Clay Jr.
Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999.
National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/civil-rightsHoward
University School of Law: https://law.howard.edu/
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