A Case of Persistence: EMANCIPATION

Smith insightfully draws a comparison between the overwhelming built-in influence of Black preachers and the financial and personal sacrifices that were made by Black lawyers to gain the respect of their communities. In 1930, for instance, Alabama had 1,653 Black preachers and only four lawyers. Smi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diverse issues in higher education 1994-04, Vol.11 (3), p.29
Main Author: Clayton, Dean Robert L
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
African Americans
Attorneys
Black literature
Law
Literature
Nonfiction
Smith, J. Clay, Jr
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Smith insightfully draws a comparison between the overwhelming built-in influence of Black preachers and the financial and personal sacrifices that were made by Black lawyers to gain the respect of their communities. In 1930, for instance, Alabama had 1,653 Black preachers and only four lawyers. Smith correctly asserts that, during this period, Black preachers were the primary source of leadership in their communities. It was then the practice of African Americans to hire Black lawyers to represent them in criminal cases, while retaining white lawyers to handle their most lucrative civil cases. In addition, Black lawyers did not develop wealth or influence in the commercial community due to the refusal of white businesses to engage their services; their exclusion from "silk stocking" white law firms and the preference of successful small Black businessmen for white lawyers. Black lawyers began assuming a leadership role in civil rights litigation, even without significant financial support. A lack of respect for their effectiveness in the courtroom, however, still remained an obstacle in the Black community. In its early years, for example, the NAACP preferred using prominent white lawyers. Even W.E.B. Du Bois, according to Smith, criticized Black lawyers who did not relinquish their cases to white attorneys at the appellate level.
ISSN:1557-5411
2163-5862