Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall & the NAACP

Gr 7 Up—Considered one of the greatest lawyers of the 20th century, Thurgood Marshall changed the landscape of the American legal system through his tireless efforts fighting segregation and eradicating Jim Crow laws. He also paved the way for such civil rights activists as Martin Luther King, Jr. Mick Caouette's powerful documentary focuses on Marshall's early career as a promising attorney under the tutelage of the NAACP's Charles Hamilton Houston, the mastermind behind using the "separate but equal" doctrine to address and change inequalities in public education, culminating in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. The film employs archival footage and audio clips of the gravelly voiced Marshall interspersed with video commentary from legal experts and scholars, depicting Marshall as a heroic figure who, despite continually putting himself in harm's way, was determined to make the country better for all citizens. As one of Houston's "social engineers," lawyers whose aim was to build a strong society, he gained notoriety as a defender of civil rights through his precedent-setting court cases. Caouette downplays this larger-than-life persona in favor of showcasing Marshall's groundbreaking achievements, and by doing so, he thoughtfully describes a man whose passion for social justice continues to resonate today. The DVD's bonus features are limited—a 12-minute reflection piece by Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and John Paul Stevens (retired) and the film's trailer—but the strength of the documentary is enough for libraries to add this to their collections.—Audrey Sumser, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Mayfield, OH