In law school I was disappointed by the dearth of civil rights courses available. Thankfully students had the ability to create ad hoc seminars around subjects that interest us and fit within the rigorous guidelines mandated for each course. I used that opportunity to create a seminar titled “The Untold Stories of the Civil Rights Movement.”
I created the course, in part, to study more deeply an area of law that I am very passionate about. Additionally, I believed that to fully think like a lawyer-advocate one must understand a case beyond the court’s decision. Thus, the seminar sought to reintegrate certain cases into their larger social context.
We focused on certain pivotal civil rights cases that cover a wide array of subjects from segregation to voting rights, to restrictive covenants. Through readings, film and discussion, the goal was to piece together a more complete story of these cases and gain a greater understanding of the law and the role of the court.
For the next few weeks, I want to bring that course to life by creating a weekly vlog adaptation. The video above is the first installment/intro to this weekly series where I look at some of the most important civil rights cases. I quickly unpack their stories and why I believe they are significant.
I hope you enjoy. Let me know if there are other cases you think I missed and want me to cover.
–Until Next Time–
Palooke
