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Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality by Tomiko Brown-Nagin
dorhastings's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
How this book ended up on my TBR: Judith Heumann. When New York's Department of Education denied Heumann a teaching license due to her disability, she sued the Department of Education. The case ended up in Motley's court. By Heumann's own recounting, Motley looked at the Department of Education and suggested that they take a different route, and Heumann successfully earned her teaching license and taught for a short time before transitioning into a disability rights activist. That's the first time I think I heard Motley's name, and when I saw this book mentioned somewhere (perhaps NYT), I put it on my Kobo wishlist. I can't remember the circumstances of how her name came up again recently, but I found it at the library and here we are.
Prior to reading this book, I knew close to nothing about Constance Baker Motley. And that's truly a shame, given her record as a civil rights attorney back when that was unrecognized as an area of the law. As a result, I learned a ton in this book about her upbringing, her schooling, and her long and accomplished career with the law. Did I know that she was involved in writing the legal arguments of Brown v. Board of Education? I did not.
While I didn't always love Brown-Nagin's writing style, I did appreciate the historical context that she provides throughout the book. I also found Brown-Nagin to provide a more nuanced reflection of history and characterization of important figures like Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Kennedy brothers, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Far from providing judgment, she gave them when appropriate more credit than they were due while also acknowledging their shortcomings. She does this as well with Motley herself. Motley is still the pillar of this book, but she wasn't a perfect person. At the end of the day, Brown-Nagin seemed to acknowledge that there is only so much a strong personality can do in a pre-existing power structure. While that power structure often held Motley back due to racism and sexism, she also progressed through no lack of hard work nor lack of supporters. And I genuinely appreciated that perspective.
I am flummoxed that we don't hear more about Judge Constance Baker Motley and her role as a civil rights attorney and her role as the first black female federal judge, but I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Reading books that cover the civil rights period always makes me wonder what I would have been like had I lived during that time. As we enter into a period of time where so many are fearful and anxious about the future, it's useful to remember that there are figures like Motley who are doing the best they can with what they have in the hope that we will indeed achieve a more perfect union.
Prior to reading this book, I knew close to nothing about Constance Baker Motley. And that's truly a shame, given her record as a civil rights attorney back when that was unrecognized as an area of the law. As a result, I learned a ton in this book about her upbringing, her schooling, and her long and accomplished career with the law. Did I know that she was involved in writing the legal arguments of Brown v. Board of Education? I did not.
While I didn't always love Brown-Nagin's writing style, I did appreciate the historical context that she provides throughout the book. I also found Brown-Nagin to provide a more nuanced reflection of history and characterization of important figures like Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Kennedy brothers, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Far from providing judgment, she gave them when appropriate more credit than they were due while also acknowledging their shortcomings. She does this as well with Motley herself. Motley is still the pillar of this book, but she wasn't a perfect person. At the end of the day, Brown-Nagin seemed to acknowledge that there is only so much a strong personality can do in a pre-existing power structure. While that power structure often held Motley back due to racism and sexism, she also progressed through no lack of hard work nor lack of supporters. And I genuinely appreciated that perspective.
I am flummoxed that we don't hear more about Judge Constance Baker Motley and her role as a civil rights attorney and her role as the first black female federal judge, but I can't say I'm entirely surprised. Reading books that cover the civil rights period always makes me wonder what I would have been like had I lived during that time. As we enter into a period of time where so many are fearful and anxious about the future, it's useful to remember that there are figures like Motley who are doing the best they can with what they have in the hope that we will indeed achieve a more perfect union.
traceyreads2's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
capecod11's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
prettypious's review against another edition
5.0
Comprehensive and well rounded objective but definitely told through a CRT lens which was absolutely the right choice and would have lacked critical truths without it I recommend for anyone interested in her life or Black History in general
moreglittermorefur's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliantly written biography of Constance Baker Motley and her legacy as a lawyer and federal judge. I was captivated by her tenacity and couldn’t wait to hear more about each case that she worked on and how beneficial her impact was on the Civil Rights Movement and other leaders. A great commentary on being a woman civil rights activist and the challenges in her career that she faced because she was a woman and working in the judicial system to make change but also how later on in her career it could be a limiting factor. Her story is endlessly interesting!
litgirlliv's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0