LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the observance of the 6th Annual
Thurgood Marshall Day in New York on May 17, 2016

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body believes that creating a day to honor
Thurgood Marshall will ensure that the State of New York and its resi-
dents commemorate and acknowledge the efforts made by Thurgood Marshall;
and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thurgood Marshall is one of the most well-known
figures in the history of the civil rights movement in America and the
first African American United States Supreme Court Justice, serving for
24 years between 1967 and 1991; and
WHEREAS, In the 1940s, Thurgood Marshall successfully argued for the
desegregation of a school in Hillburn, New York, Rockland County; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Thurgood Marshall is most commonly known for
his stellar representation of the NAACP before the Supreme Court of the
United States in the matter of Brown v. The Board of Education, which
led the Supreme Court to declare the segregation of public schools ille-
gal in the United States; this year marks the 60th Anniversary of this
landmark decision; and
WHEREAS, In addition to desegregation of schools, Thurgood Marshall
was a lead advocate who successfully argued challenges against "white
only" primary elections and restrictive covenants in real property
against people of color; and
WHEREAS, The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - Eta Chi Lambda Chapter has
worked tirelessly to ensure that the legacy of Thurgood Marshall is
recalled and honored; and
WHEREAS, Through the efforts of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - Eta Chi
Lambda Chapter, a historical commemorative marker was erected in the
Village of Hillburn, New York, commemorating his efforts; and
WHEREAS, Justice Thurgood Marshall passed away on January 24, 1993,
and, in his eulogy to the late Thurgood Marshall, Chief Justice William
H. Rehnquist, referring to the words above the front entrance to the
United States Supreme Court, "Equal Justice for All", stated "Surely no
one individual did more to make these words a reality than Thurgood
Marshall"; and
WHEREAS, The notion of Equal Justice Under Law requires constant and
personal attention by each and every citizen if it is to work for the
benefit of all; and
WHEREAS, The late Justice Thurgood Marshall was one of this country's
premier champions of civil rights; he championed the most important
premises of democratic government -- freedom, equality and justice for
all -- and successfully utilized the courthouse to advocate for, and
champion the cause of, equal treatment under the law; now, therefore, be
it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the observance of the 6th Annual Thurgood Marshall Day in
New York on May 17, 2016.