President's Day: A Black President in the Making
During Black History Month we examine influential African-Americans in politics
Significant African-American Politicians Break Down Racial Barriers
Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall receives some help from wife, Cecilia Marshall, at his swearing-in on Oct. 2, 1967. Formerly an NAACP attorney, Marshall became the first black justice to sit on the Supreme Court. While Marshall had an extensive legacy on the high court, perhaps his most significant victory came before he was a judge, successfully arguing to end the legal separation of black and white children in the public school system in the landmark case Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954. This ruling later sparked the 1960s civil rights movement and had a profound effect on race relations in America. (Henry Griffin/AP Photo)
