1921 — Birth of Justice Thurgood Marshall’s Mentor Charles Hamilton Houston

Charles Hamilton Houston, born May 24, 1895, was a legal architect of the civil rights movement and mentor to Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Often called “The Man Who Killed Jim Crow,” Houston was instrumental in dismantling racial segregation through a legal strategy that challenged inequities in education. As vice-dean of Howard University Law School, he transformed it into a powerhouse for civil rights litigation. His impact reached beyond American borders, influencing constitutional reforms in post-colonial African nations. Celebrating his birth on May 24 offers a lens into how legal strategy became a tool of Black empowerment. Houston’s work seeded the victories of Brown v. Board of Education and international legal battles for racial justice. His intellectual legacy continues to inspire law scholars, activists, and policymakers across the African diaspora.