 | Thurgood is a one-man play about the life of Thurgood Marshall (see photo). The play was written by George Stevens, Jr. The show premiered at the Westport Country Playhouse, starring James Earl Jones and directed by Leonard Foglia. |
| Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Before becoming a judge, he was a lawyer who was best remembered for his high success rate in arguing before the Supreme Court and for the victory in Brown v. Board of Education. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, which overturned earlier rulings going back to Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, by declaring that state laws that established separate public schools for black and white students denied black children equal educational opportunities. Handed down on May 17, 1954, the Warren Court's unanimous (9-0) decision stated that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." As a result, de jure racial segregation was ruled a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. This victory paved the way for integration and the civil rights movement. On June 13, 1967, President Johnson appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court following the retirement of Justice Tom C. Clark, saying that this was "the right thing to do, the right time to do it, the right man and the right place." He was the 96th person to hold the position, and the first African-American. The play started on Broadway at the Booth Theatre on April 30, 2008 starring Laurence Fishburne. It will run through August 3, 2008. Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American Academy Award-nominated, Emmy Award- and Tony Award-winning actor of screen and stage, as well as playwright, director, and producer. | |
Thurgood on Broadway: Laurence Fishburne Interview | |
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