The Whole Staircase: Films Celebrating 400 Years of African American History & Culture
SJR State's commemoration logo
Marshall (2017)
"The story of Thurgood Marshall, the crusading lawyer who would become the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases." - distributor's synopsis
Run time: 118 minutes
This film is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexuality, violence and some strong language.
Licensed through Swank.
Screening Date and Location
March 4, 2019 presented by Sunshine Nealy
Palatka Campus - Building A, Valhalla Hall from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Ms. Sunshine Nealy will present this film. Sunshine Nealy is an Adult Education Program Specialist at SJR State and specializes in recruitment and operations. Sunshine received her Bachelor’s degree from Saint Leo University in Business Administration and Management. Previously, she worked in Admissions at the University of Florida. She is heavily involved in the community with her involvement in youth sports, church youth, and children ministries.
As Ms. Nealy explains, "I selected this film because I admire Thurgood Marshall’s drive to give a black man accused of sexual assault and attempted murder a fair trial especially during a time when racism and discrimination was second nature. Way before Marshall became the 1st African American Supreme Court Justice, he was just a lawyer for the NAACP. It was Marshall’s early years as a lawyer that groomed him to sit on the United States Supreme Court."
July 11, 2019
Location: Palatka Campus Library
Time: 5:30 p.m.
An informal discussion with members of The Turning Table's Race Issues Study Circle will be held after the film.
Resources for Further Exploration: Marshall
Online Resources
Chadwick Boseman discusses importance of Thurgood Marshall film
What to Know About the Real Case That Inspired the Movie Marshall
The new Thurgood Marshall biopic is trying not to be a ‘good for you’ movie
The True Story Behind “Marshall”
Books and eBooks at the SJR State Library
Devil in the Grove by Call Number: St. Johns River/St. Augustine Circulation -- KF224 .G76 K56 2013ISBN: 9780061792267Publication Date: 2013-02-19n 1949, Florida's orange industry was booming with cheap Jim Crow labor. When a white seventeen-year-old Groveland girl cried rape, vicious Sheriff McCall was fast on the trail of four young blacks who dared to envision a future for themselves. Then the Ku Klux Klan rolled into town, burning homes and chasing hundreds of blacks into the swamps. So began the chain of events that would bring Thurgood Marshall, the man known as "Mr. Civil Rights," into the fray. Associates thought it was suicidal for him to wade into the "Florida Terror" at a time when he was irreplaceable to the burgeoning civil rights movement, but the lawyer would not shrink from the fight-- not after the Klan had murdered one of Marshall's NAACP associates and Marshall had endured threats that he would be next. Drawing on a wealth of never-before-published material, including the FBI's unredacted Groveland case files, as well as the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund files, King shines new light on this remarkable civil rights crusader against a heroic backdrop.--From publisher description.
Marshalling Justice by Call Number: St. Johns River/Palatka Circulation -- KF8745.M34 A4 2010ISBN: 9780061985188Publication Date: 2011-01-18
Thurgood Marshall by Call Number: St. Johns River/Palatka Circulation -- KF8745.M34 A4 1993ISBN: 0881849650Publication Date: 1993-04-21
Thurgood Marshall by Call Number: St. Johns River/St. Augustine Circulation -- KF8745.M34 W55 1998ISBN: 9780812920284Publication Date: 1998-09-14"Thurgood Marshall stands today as the great architect of American race relations, having expanded the foundation of individual rights for all Americans. His victory in the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, the landmark Supreme Court case outlawing school segregation, would have made him a historic figure even if he had not gone on to become the first African-American appointed to the Supreme Court." "Remembered as a gruff, aloof figure, Marshall in fact had great charisma and a large appetite for life. Away from the courtroom, he was a glamorous figure in Harlem circles, known as a man-about-town who socialized with prizefighter Joe Louis, singer Cab Calloway, and other black luminaries. He lived in every decade of the century and knew every president from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton, becoming a respected member of Washington's power elite, known for his savvy and quick wit." "But beneath Marshall's charm was a hard-nosed drive to change America that led to surprising clashes with Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy, and Malcolm X. Most intriguing of all was Marshall's secret and controversial relationship with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, revealed here for the first time."--BOOK JACKET.
Celebration • Education • Reflection
H.R.1242/Public Law 115-102, the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act, establishes 2019 as a year of "commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies, at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619." The commemoration is intended “to recognize and highlight the resilience and contributions of African-Americans since 1619; to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States; and to educate the public about the arrival of Africans in the United States; and the contributions of African-Americans to the United States.” In recognition of this commemoration and with the Act serving as a guide, the SJR State Library has organized a year-long series of events that will provide educational experiences and resources to students and the community that celebrate the history and culture of African Americans.
Site created and maintained by Dr. Christina Will. Pages will be added and maintained throughout 2019.
Maintenance will cease at the end of 2019 but this site will remain accessible.