Civil Rights Leader Clarence B. Jones to be Awarded Thurgood Marshall Award
The Section is thrilled to announce that it will honor legendary civil rights leader Clarence B. Jones with the 2021 Thurgood Marshall Award in a virtual celebration during the ABA Annual Meeting. Serving as advisor and lawyer to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mr. Jones played a pivotal role in many events in the Civil Rights Era, including assisting in the drafting of Dr. King’s momentous "I have a Dream" address; acting as part of the successful defense team for the SCLC in New York Times v. Sullivan; serving as part of Dr. King’s inner circle of advisers, called the “research committee”; and contributing with Vincent Harding and Andrew Young to Dr. King’s “Beyond Vietnam” address at New York’s Riverside Church on 4 April 1967. After Dr. King’s death, Mr. Jones served as one of the negotiators during the 1971 prison riot at Attica, and was editor and part owner of the New York Amsterdam News from 1971 to 1974.
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