Of jim crow, Charles Hamilton houston and the to brown versus board of education. 1954. So today well talk a little bit about this major figure africanamerican history. Charles houston, whos really important because he uses american law to dismantle the legal structure, the system that supports and upholds racial segregation in america. Hes a phenomenal person. Most people dont know him, but theyre more familiar with his students. And well talk or ill just mention some of those individuals like thurgood marshall, First Supreme Court justice, as well, as pauli murray, who helped write the brief that leads to weve come to know today is title nine legislation and Constance Baker motley william hastily other individuals. That are associated with houston and the Howard University school of law houston is significant among other things, hes responsible for creating what becomes known as the civil rights lawyer is group and cadre of individuals that will use american constitutional law to fundamentally change racial segregation and dismantle racial segregation in. America so lets talk a little about Charles Hamilton houston and the of jim crow. Now there is a theres this idea on some scholars history that of us are sort of born for a purpose were born were not born accidentally, but born to meet and to respond to some challenge in our lives. And that definitely seems to be the case with Charles Hamilton houston. Houston is born in 1895, in d. C. Hes born a middle class africanamerican family. His father is a lawyer by training, father graduated from Howard University school of law. At this time African American lawyers late century, late 1800s, even american lawyers didnt really have didnt really make a lot of money. So you were a lawyer. Youre a black lawyer. And had an and that was sort of your practice. You generally had other job that you did. That was the case with Charles Hamilton houstons as well. But hes born in washington, d. C. , the middle class africanamerican family. And one year after his birth, we see the Supreme Court decision, plessy versus which really legalized jim crow, racial segregation through american law and sanctioned what becomes known as the separate but equal doctrine in american law. And doing so and doing so and this is very important. The versus ferguson case overthrows the equal protect 14th amendment, equal protection clause that gives essentially says everybody can come before the courts and the constitution and the laws are to apply to everybody in the same fashion. And so thats the circumstance within which hes born into. So we have to acknowledge that now houston is is as student as a young person, he was very he excelled in studies to say he graduated school at the age of 15. And he will enter into amherst college. Thats Prestigious College in the northeast. And hell finish his studies there. And following graduation from amherst, hell enlist into the us military during what will one as a second lieutenant. So hes one of the few black officers actually goes in and fights or goes to europe during world war one. Its very important because there are not many. But when we at Charles Hamilton houston as a figure, its important to understand that hes going to use his experience in the military, as well as his legal experience. Both of those things are going to really impact that and shape how he his approach to dismantling racial segregation in american law. Hes an officer so do understand that he thinks strategic lee when we look at houston of the things in world war one, one of the things that is really important to note is the experience that black officers go through during that time. We didnt talk about a lot about what we won at all and the experience black military personnel there. But just to give you some sort of idea, africanamerican soldiers were segregated. The general at the time. From there, a white counterparts, the general at the time who was commander over all u. S. Military personnel. His name was john j. Pershing. And he was over American Expeditionary forces that the sort of americas combat force that was sent to europe. Now the thing about pershing is that although he had at one point in his life commanded black soldiers by, the time that he becomes the commander over, American Military forces in europe, for one hes going to be implement ing the policy of the Wilson Administration is to, you know, segregate racially segregate the us military. And one of the things that he does in 1918 is he sends this memo to his french counterpart, to the allied high command, and the title of this memo is called the secret information secret information concerning. Its very important because it really does outline sort of the the approach of the us military to military personnel at the time one of the things that this this does now slow down a little bit because i know some of you were writing so but one of the things that this document does the secret information concerning blacks black troops is that pershing essentially tells his his counterparts in france that they sit not, you know, associate with fraternize black soldiers. They should not really give them any type sense of equality or commend them in any type way or give them any type or spoil the term that he uses. Is that his european counterparts did not spoil black military personnel. And so this is the situation that houston finds himself at the time. Now, in addition to this experience, when we look at his overall strategy, when we look at and ill talk about that in just a second, i talk about when he gets to howard law school, but when we talk about houston and his military experience. Its important to know whats referred to as the racial science of the day, racial science of the day. Okay. So in your notes, you put racial science and the racial of the day was based off of a of assumptions or or assertions. One of the fundamental premise is that supported or that shaped racial science of the day was this notion that people of african descent, African Americans, were fundamental early or fundamentally, emotionally being emotional beings. Emotional beings by emotional beings. Theyre really saying was really being said was that people of african descent, were mentally weak. Okay, now theres some gender context associated with emotion. The inability to reason and being mentally weak. But this was this was of this fundamental assertion. And because a science the racial science whenever the talk of integration would be broached. Youre talking about the experience of black soldiers at war, military soldiers or the integration at this time wasnt really even being. But the integration of black kids or children in public schools, in Higher Education, the notion was that, again that black people or africanamericans were emotional. And if you had to sort of write out and an equation that was associated with the experiment, because it was always couched as an experiment into. Gration the notion that blacks could fight alongside white soldiers or black children could sit alongside white children if you had to write out sort of sort of an equation or Research Question associated with the notion of this racial science, it would be that will exposure or would exposure to a hostile environment. It would expose it to a hostile environment and dose or bring about an emotional response yes on the part of the or africanamerican. Okay. Ill just say that again. For those of you who are your background is in science. So this is a Research Question and the Research Question is will expose you to a hostile environment in this case in combat. That would be war in school would be sort of the school experience. Right. Hostile environment, the independent variable, something that is manipulated. Bring about or induce an emotional response. An emotional response being that dependent variable, something that is being measured, put simply, will africanamericans break under the stress of or demands of the rigors of war or the rigors of of of academia. Okay. That was always what was being tested. And. Charles hamilton houston, in terms of his approach to law, one of the things that youll see when and well talk about it here, but for those of you who are going to law school was, Charles Hamilton houston, a little bit more the the the litigants, the naacp selects to. Go into the courts and challenge racial segregation in education most of them will be military veterans. There are a few that arent, but most of them will be military veterans. And it was all based off this notion that, you know, these individuals, this background, this experience where they can go into a space and sort of submit or subdue their emotional response to a very hostile environment that always a challenge. If you see the integration of, the little rock nine and the integration of central high school, all of that has to do with sort of being this notion that africanamericans have to the hostile environment subdue their emotional response. All right. In 1920, 1920, Charles Hamilton houston enters, Harvard University. Okay. And and as he did a student, he excels in his studies. Absolutely excels. In fact, houston becomes the first africanamerican editor of the harvard review, which was the first africanamerican editor of the harvard law review, the nations foremost foremost sort of scholarly legal journal at the time. This is someone who was editing the, you know the scholarship thats coming through that journal is the head of it. And to give you some parallel one of the only the few other africanamerican editors of the harvard law review was morocco. Okay. So its an amazing, accomplished man that he achieves at this early age. In, 1922, Charles Hamilton houston graduate with his bachelors of law from Harvard University. Again, hes thinking strategic about how hes going to dismantle racial segregation the law and houston, as someone needs data, he needs information, he needs to sort of see where the problem lies. Okay. He spends another two years at harvard. He gets his doctors of law. But in 1924, when he comes out, Charles Hamilton houston takes a survey. He does a survey of, the u. S. South and africanamerican access to lawyers in us south. Okay. Okay. At the time, there are about 9 million africanamericans living the south. Now, the question i have, you nijmegen, africanamericans, how many black lawyers do you think were living in the at that time . Well, working in the south at that time, 9 million africanamericans there are going to be black lawyers. How do you do you think were working on behalf of African American interests serving clientele at that time, 9 million. I mean, thats a lot of black lawyers. You expect anybody as ever im sorry, you said 210. Thats thats thats very modest. But okay. No, thats a good ten backpacked through all the south, the whole south, all the states best. Okay. Thats why. Yes. 45 1 to 25 lawyers. Okay. For 9 million, thats hes a thousand maybe. Okay. Maybe a million. So one for every nine. Okay. Anyone else i make you say no a couple of hundred. A couple hundred. Okay, lets. Doesnt seem realistic. Not really about now. Theres about a million, maybe a. Anybody else out number, perhaps 9 million tied to a south. 100,000 was a oh ill out some zeros. It was a hundred was a hundred black lawyers for a population nine made obviously some folks interests are being served. So what is what is that what does somebody do the math one that means as one lawyer serving the interest how many African Americans americans my million divided by what about a thousand 10,000. Oh is it 90,000. Yeah, 90,000. One lawyer for 90,000 people. Its quite absurd but. But what this demonstrate to houston was that obviously the legal interest of african were not being supported and you have to challenge that you have to do something if he was going to actually fundamentally overthrow or approve the legal basis racial segregation he needed sort an army to do so. And by the time he gets through excuse me with Howard University school of law, which becomes the citadel really within the mid 20th century for the training of African American civil lawyers or for civil rights lawyers. By the time gets to nearly a quarter, nearly a quarter of 25 of all African American lawyers will be trained at how University School of law. Thats how fundamental sort of his are how sort of the influence that he has on sort of legal history at this time. Now, after he graduates from Harvard University, hes done his studies and hes done his surveys that hes taken to see what the situation is. Hell become part of the faculty at Howard University school of law. This was his fathers old alma mater, institution hes part of the faculty. Part of the faculty. You cant really implement a lot changes. But by 1929, its a very quick turnaround. By 1929, charles houston will become dean of the school law at Howard University. Thats very important its very important after this man is an officer, right . This man, he think strategically. Okay. And at an academic institution. And if you want to be transformed in terms creating opportunity is for your faculty to do innovate research, create opportunities for your students to do sort innovative studies and experiments. The position of dean is where that happens. Okay. All of the creativity, innovation that happens within, a college in a space happens at the level of the dean thats what transformation happens. And so those you looking at, you know, dont think about the degree that youre getting, but one day you might become a dean and. This is an individual who understood that if he was going to transform African Americans relationship to the law had to get that position. And he does so in a relatively short amount of time. Okay transformational. And so he begins 1929 begins to implement changes to how University School of that will lead to the emergence of the civil rights lawyer and what becomes known as brown versus board of education. Lets look at some of those changes. Lets talk about a few of those or initiatives that he that he makes. Most of these changes will place between 1929 and 1934, ones that im going to talk about happen within a two year period, 1929 to 1931. Okay. Can. You have to think of this as you know, the dean is like a coach. No way, you know, like a coach of a football team. And if you that coach and you to implement changes, what do you think the response going to be sometimes . Whats the response if you im coming in with a new system how people are going to respond over football or basketball or volleyball coach. Im changing everything. How are people going to respond to that . So some pushback. Okay. All right. And theres going to be some pushback and well about from who . From who, but what else some other changes or or response is to people implementing, new ideas and changes and change. There might be people who were looking for the change in someone probably had to be that person to do it. Okay definitely some of the students because one of the students, as i mentioned earlier will be thurgood marshall. Hell be part of it, sort of witnessed some of these changes. What else else hes trying to take away from potential funding or protesting. Its definitely so. Lets talk about what happens. Lets talk about the first change. So all of you are correct. Lets talk about the first change, adding new person. He has ideas that hes held within his his his his, you know, concepts within himself since he was at Harvard University actually, he was in the us military as an officer and the discrimination that he faced as an officer like i dont want to ever happen again to any africanamericans. And so hell begin to implement these changes. But hes not in the position yet until 1929. Lets talk about the first change. The first changes that he implements in 1929. He turns Howard University, terrence Howard University, school of law. From a part time night school to a full time day. Part time night school to a full time day. Nights. Thats a great question. Student does anybody have an answer . Ill on your colleagues for. 5050 was the night school because again at this time its what 1929 around the time its abc for you, its not going to get thats high marks. Its like a harvard or yale. So just like youre going sleep is not okay. I mean, what else cost yet and look at i dont think thats fair. Okay, so so what is your yeah. What do you do because it doesnt think thats. So what do you think might. Oh the maximum it is is for cameras. Okay. So nice. Cool bicep. Nice cool part time high school. Yeah. No, these people are, students, people working and people are working. And so theyre students. And as i mentioned, most lawyers are going to be making a lot of money. Its not until the great migration people begin to move northward until black lawyers for the most part will have the clientele to support 1930s really onward to africaamerican lawyers will have the the clientele to support them and they wont have to have other types of jobs. Okay. Theyre students, theyre working. And when he makes this change the population that is most upset are the alumni. All the alumni are upset. And they say to houston, you dont understand your students. Here you are with this Harvard University education coming to this hbcu, making these changes, acting like as harvard, you dont understand your students right . Charles hamilton houston essentially, im going to war with. The system of racial segregation and legalized rac