University of Maryland honors Thurgood Marshall with naming of campus building
BALTIMORE -- Capping off Black History Month, the University of Maryland celebrated the naming of Thurgood Marshall Hall.
The university in College Park named its public policy building to honor the country's first Black Supreme Court Justice.
"I get goose bumps when I see the name on this building, not only because of the recognition of his leadership and accomplishments that he and so many that he and so many brought to bar, but it is what it means for the future," said Thurgood Marshall Jr.
Marshall, a Baltimore native and civil rights activist, played a major role in breaking barriers for students of color, including the desegregation of the University of Maryland.
Marshall was barred from applying to the University of Maryland School of Law in 1930 because he was Black.
Soon after his graduation from Howard University Law School, where he was ranked first in his class, Marshall joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.
He sued the University of Maryland on behalf of another Black student seeking admission to the law school and was part of the team that launched successful legal battles against the university on behalf of Parren Mitchell and Hiram Whittle, who were denied admission based on their race.
In 1950, Mitchell became the first Black student to take graduate classes on the College Park campus, and a year later, Whittle enrolled as the university's first Black undergraduate student.
Marshall went on to argue the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared segregation unconstitutional. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1967, and held the role of associate justice for 24 years.
"We take one more step to ensuring something very important, that we never go back, that we keep pushing for equity, justice and for our humanity," said Jay A. Perman, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland.
The newly-built 70,000-square foot facility is equipped with state of the art classrooms, ensuring future leaders have access to quality education and a world opportunities.
"We have been working to embed the strength and vibrancy of our diversity into the fabric of our campus," said University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines.
"Its an honor to be able to pursue those opportunities and to be in a place where we really honoring that legacy of creating change and being progressive," said Shivani Sidh, a University of Maryland public policy student.
For Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and so many others, this moment represents Marshall's unwavering dedication justice and equality.
"A legacy that continues to live, give, we continue to benefit from and aspire to be," Gov. Moore said.