"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on." -Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908-1993)

Yesterday, July 2, 2023, the Judge Alexander Williams Jr. Center commemorated and honored Former Justice Thurgood Marshall and what would be recognized as his 115th birthday. As a civil rights attorney, he became known for being part of the legal team supporting Parren Mitchell and Hiram Whittle, two Black students who were denied admission based on their race. This case desegregated the campus and created educational equity and justice for Black students to attend the University of Maryland.

This year (2023) also marks the 70th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board of Education (1953) case which decided racial segregation to be unconstitutional. We thank you. We honor you. Rest in power.

The societal legacy of Justice Marshall encouraged JAWC to collaborate with Cross Street Partners and The Beloved Community Services Corporation in creating the Justice Thurgood Marshall Amenity Center at PS 103, which honors the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall and other civil rights leaders who called Upton home while also providing needed community services, resources, and education in the historically underserved community. The Amenity Center will be a major step forward in establishing Upton as a cultural tourism destination to celebrate and honor the community’s significance in the nation’s Civil Rights Movement.