Dawn of Desegregation
J.A. De Laine and Briggs V. Elliott
In this engrossing memoir, Ophelia De Laine Gona, the daughter of Reverend De Laine, becomes the first to cite and credit adequately the forces responsible for filing Briggs. Based on De Laine's writings and papers, witness testimonies, and the author's personal knowledge, Gona's account fills a gap in civil rights history by providing a poignant insider's view of the events and personalities--including NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall and federal district judge J. Waties Waring--central to this trailblazing case.
Though De Laine and the brave parents who filed Briggs v. Elliott initially lost their lawsuit in district court, the case grew in significance when the plaintiffs appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. Three years after the appeal, the Briggs case was one of the five lawsuits that shared the historic Brown decision. However, the ruling did not prevent De Laine and his family from suffering vicious reprisals from vindictive white citizens. In 1955, after he was shot at and his church was burned to the ground, De Laine prudently fled South Carolina in order to save his life. He died in exile in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1974. Fifty years after the Supreme Court's decision, De Laine was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his role in reshaping the American educational landscape.
Briggs, Harry, -1986 -- Trials, litigation, etc.
Elliott, R. W. -- Trials, litigation, etc.
De Laine, Joseph A. (Joseph Armstrong), 1898-1974.
Segregation in education -- Law and legislation -- South Carolina -- Clarendon County -- History -- 20th century.
African Americans -- Civil rights -- South Carolina -- Clarendon County -- History -- 20th century.
Civil rights movements -- South Carolina -- Clarendon County -- History -- 20th century.
African American clergy -- South Carolina -- Clarendon County -- Biography.
African American civil rights workers -- South Carolina -- Clarendon County -- Biography.
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
LH HISTORY Civil Rights Gon | Main (Downtown) | Local History Nonfiction | Available for in-library use |
HISTORY North Am. US AF AM Civil Rights Gon | Cooper (Forest Acres) | Nonfiction | In |
HISTORY North Am. US AF AM Civil Rights Gon | North Main | Nonfiction | In |