Source: http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss51.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 02:38:15+00:00

Document:
Judge, lawyer, civil rights advocate, and state senator. The bulk of the Motley papers document her professional life; material includes speeches, interviews, photographs, and memorabilia. The collection sheds light on the successes and failures of programs that emerged from the public policy applications of civil rights in such areas as the war on poverty and race discrimination; urban renewal; and in the New York State courts and political systems. Notable correspondents include: Bella Abzug, Brooke Astor, Shirley Chisholm, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B. Johnson, Florynce Kennedy, Dorothy Kenyon, Martin Luther King, Jr., John V. Lindsay, George McGovern, Floyd B. McKissick, James Meredith, Pauli Murray, A. Philip Randolph, and Robert F. Wagner. Individuals represented in speeches and published sources include Jack Greenburg, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
To the extent that they own copyright, Joel Motley III and Constance L. Royster have assigned the copyright of Constance Baker Motley's works to Smith College; however, copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For instances which may regard materials in the collection not created by Constance Baker Motley, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.
Constance Juanita Baker was born on September 14th, 1921 in New Haven, Connecticut. She was the ninth of twelve children of Rachel Huggins and Willoughby Alva Baker, both emigrants from Nevis, British West Indies. Her childhood neighborhood, although ethnically diverse (comprised of West Indian, Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Polish families) was relatively free from racial rancor. Rachel Baker was a founder of the New Haven NAACP and Motley was exposed to African American history, especially the writings of W.E.B. DuBois, in her Sunday School. While in high school, Motley became president of the New Haven Youth Council and was secretary of the New Haven Adult Community Council. In 1939, she graduated with honors from Hillhouse High School. Though she had already formed a desire to practice law, Motley lacked the means to attend college, and instead went to work for the National Youth Administration. She also continued her involvement in community activities and it was through this work that she encountered local businessman and philanthropist Clarence Blakeslee, who, after hearing Motley speak at a New Haven community center, offered to pay for her education. She spent a year at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, then transferred to New York University in 1942, earning her A.B. in economics from its Washington Square College in 1943. In February 1944 she began her legal studies at Columbia Law School. She graduated in 1946, the same year she married Joel Wilson Motley, Jr., a real estate and insurance broker. Their son, Joel Motley III, was born in 1952.
In 1945 Constance Motley took a job as law clerk to Thurgood Marshall, chief counsel of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDEF), and accompanied Marshall to court for most of his cases. After earning her law degree, Motley continued to work for the LDEF. In 1950 she was named assistant counsel and in 1961 she became associate counsel when Jack Greenberg succeeded Thurgood Marshall as head of the LDEF. As counsel Motley was involved in almost every important civil rights case of the era. She worked on litigation for the 1954 school desegregation case, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas and subsequently fought for and won several other successful public school and university desegregation cases, including James Meredith's entry into the University of Mississippi in 1962. The LDEF also represented Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers in civil rights campaigns for desegregation of public transportation and accommodations throughout the South from 1961 to 1963. Motley brought many of these civil rights cases to higher courts. Between 1961 and 1964, she argued ten civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, winning nine. [For a complete list and summaries of Motley's NAACP cases see the Columbia University project database, described in the Scope and Contents note]. In his book, Crusaders in the Courts (1994), Jack Greenberg said of Motley's work with the NAACP: "[She] was a dogged opponent of Southern segregationists, who found her tougher than Grant at Vicksburg. She dug in to a position and wouldn't let go in the face of all kinds of threats, evasion, obfuscation, and delay."
In the late 1950s Motley had begun to be active in New York State politics. She served as a member of the New York State Advisory Council on Employment and Unemployment Insurance from 1958 to 1964, and in February 1964, she left the NAACP, having won a special election to the New York State Senate, becoming the first African American woman to serve in that body. As State Senator for the 21st Congressional District in Manhattan (roughly from 96th street on the upper west side to 161st street in Harlem), Motley launched a campaign during her first seven weeks in office to extend civil rights legislation in employment, education, and housing. She was re-elected to the Senate in November 1964 and served until February 1965, when New York City Council elected her the first woman to serve as President of the Borough of Manhattan. She was re-elected in the city-wide elections of November 1965 for a full four-year term and was the first candidate for the Manhattan Presidency to win the endorsement of the Republican, Democratic, and Liberal Parties. As Borough President, Motley drew up a seven-point program for the revitalization of Harlem and East Harlem, and won a pioneering fight for $700,000 to plan renewal projects for those and other underprivileged areas of the city. The plan included a design to decrease racial segregation in the public schools serving the housing projects.
In January 1966 Motley was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson for a judgeship in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York--the nation's largest federal court covering Manhattan, the Bronx, and six New York counties. Over tremendous opposition from southern senators (led by Senator James Eastland of Mississippi) and other federal judges, Motley was confirmed in August 1966, becoming the first woman to occupy that post, and the first African American woman ever named to the federal bench. Judge Motley continued to be a strong supporter of civil rights for minorities and the poor, as well as for women's rights. Among her many controversial decisions was the infamous "locker room case," Ludtke v. Kuhn (1978), in which she ruled that a woman reporter be admitted to the New York Yankees' locker room. In another highly publicized case Judge Motley admonished the New York City police for not providing Vietnam war protesters with adequate protection against violence in the streets (Belknap et al v. Leary, 1970). [These and other notable cases presided over by Judge Motley are summarized in the Columbia University project which is described in the Scope and Content note below.] In 1982, Judge Motley was appointed Chief Judge of the Southern District of New York and held senior status since 1986. Constance Baker Motley died in New York City in September 2005.
For additional biographical information, see Equal Justice-Under Law: An Autobiography by Constance Baker Motley (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998).
The Constance Baker Motley Papers are primarily related to her professional and public life from 1948 to 2005. Types of material include correspondence; speeches; legal documents; photographs; press releases; reports; journal and newspaper articles; transcripts of interviews; and memorabilia.
The bulk of the papers date from 1964 to 1966 and focus on Motley's tenures as New York State Senator, President of the Borough of Manhattan, and her early years as a Judge in one of the busiest federal district courts in the country. Major topics found throughout these papers include the civil rights movement in the South; racism and discrimination in the U.S; equal opportunities for African Americans in employment, housing, and education; urban renewal in New York City, particularly Harlem; community activism and neighborhood development; New York (State and City) politics; women in the legal profession and politics; and modern judicial history. The papers are equally rich as a record of the public life and career of a pioneering African American woman in her ascent to national prominence often in the face of strong prejudice.
Correspondence comprises roughly half of the collection. Included are exchanges with constituents and other concerned citizens relating to legislation before Motley as State Senator; a myriad of political and social issues she faced as Manhattan Borough President; and cases she presided over as Justice in the Southern District Court of New York. These letters, both supportive and negative, illustrate the turbulent social and political atmosphere of New York City in the mid-1960s. Certain letters from detractors offer evidence of the sometimes quite virulent public sentiment Motley faced in challenging racism and discrimination.
Notable correspondents include: Bella Abzug, Brooke Astor, Shirley Chisholm, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B. Johnson, Florynce Kennedy, Dorothy Kenyon, Martin Luther King, Jr., John V. Lindsay, George McGovern, Floyd B. McKissick, James and Mary June Meredith, Pauli Murray, A. Philip Randolph, and Robert F. Wagner. Cross-references in the folder list and the Name Index at the end of this document refer researchers to material on individuals found in series other than Correspondence.
Researchers may also wish to consult two databases which were created through a project at Columbia University Law School in 1995. The first is a database of the Constance Baker Motley papers available in the Sophia Smith Collection and elsewhere. The other is a database of summaries of important NAACP cases in which Motley was counsel. In addition there are text files consisting of a list and case summaries of significant NAACP cases as well as cases Motley tried as a Federal judge. Copies of the databases and text files are all available in electronic form on the SSC computer network. A complete description of the project, the databases, and printouts of some of the text files are filed in box 15 of this collection. Consult the Reference staff for more information on how to access the electronic resources.
Constance Baker Motley Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, 00110, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts.
Selections from the Constance Baker Motley Papers can be viewed in the Web exhibit Agents of Social Change: New Resources on 20th-century Women's Activism .
Constance Baker Motley donated her papers to the Sophia Smith Collection from 1971 to 1992. Joel Motley donated additional material in 2018.
Processed by Marla Miller, Margaret Jessup, and Monique Daviau (intern), 1998.
This collection contains materials received from the donor in digital form that are not currently available online. Please consult with Special Collections staff to request access to this digital content.
Additional papers of Constance Baker Motley are housed at the Columbia University Law Library.
This series provides an overview of Constance Baker Motley's career and public life. Magazine and newspaper articles, dated from 1956 to 1986, document Motley's many achievements. Also included are a brief chronology of her career and tributes to Motley from New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner and Chief Justice Earl Warren. The file pertaining to honorary degrees and awards received by Motley include letters from Thomas Mendenhall, President of Smith College, and from Jack Greenberg concerning her honorary degree from Columbia Law School. Other material in this series includes photographs, an article written by Motley honoring Thurgood Marshall, her application for admission to the New York State Bar in 1948, and a "miscellaneous" file with printed material and notes. There is also a scrapbook of clippings, dated 1965-66, relating to Motley's Borough Presidency, numerous public appearances, and her appointment as Federal Judge in January 1966 [see OVERSIZE MATERIALS].
An 801-page transcript of an interview with Motley, conducted by Mrs. Walter Gellhorn of the Oral History Research Office at Columbia University Law Library, completes this series. In this interview Judge Motley recalls her childhood and family; her education; her work with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund; and her political and judicial careers. The interview was conducted in 1976 and the transcript was completed in 1978. The original tapes are housed at the Columbia Law Library.
This series is organized into four subseries: Family, General, Individuals, and "Hate mail." The Family subseries consists of one folder of correspondence. Letters from friends and colleagues are scattered throughout the General correspondence.
Correspondence Motley received as Borough of Manhattan President from February 1965 to August 1966 relates to a variety of issues, including racial discrimination in public education, employment, organizations, and housing; Harlem revitalization; and the controversy surrounding construction of the Lower Manhattan Expressway, which Motley opposed (see letter dated 8 September 1965 in the General subseries).
At each new appointment or election, Motley received floods of letters and telegrams of congratulations from friends and colleagues as well as from supportive constituents and citizens from around the country. These generally fall within the months of February to September of 1964; February to November of 1965; and January to August of 1966. There is also a steady stream of invitations seeking Motley's presence as a guest or a speaker at a wide variety of events. In most cases, her replies are attached.
The Individuals subseries consists of letters to or from several notable individuals, including Bella Abzug, Brooke Astor, Derrick Bell, Wiley Branton, Shirley Chisholm, Sammy Davis, Jr., Thomas Hoving, Jack Greenberg, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B. Johnson, Dorothy Kenyon, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lindsay, George McGovern, Floyd B. McKissick; James Meredith; Pauli Murray, A. Philip Randolph, Nelson Rockefeller, Richard Rodgers, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young. In most cases, there are only one or two letters from or to each of the individuals in this subseries. There is pro forma correspondence from and to New York City Mayor Robert F. Wagner scattered throughout the General correspondence, from Motley's terms as State Senator and Manhattan Borough President. Cross-references in the folder list and the Name Index refer researchers to material on individuals found in series other than Correspondence.
The Hate mail subseries consists of one file of letters from the public with particularly hostile, often racist content. These illustrate the intense controversy which surrounded so much of Motley's career, as well as the path-breaking nature of some of her decisions. There are similar letters in SERIES III. PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES-Federal District Court-Subjects, under Ludtke v. Kuhn, (the case in which Motley's decision allowed a woman reporter admittance to the Yankees' locker room), and Belknap et al. v. Leary (regarding police protection of Vietnam war demonstrators).
This series consists of five subseries: NAACP Legal and Educational Defense Fund; New York State Advisory Council on Unemployment and Employment Insurance; New York State Senate; Borough of Manhattan; and Federal District Court.
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. subseries includes brochures and magazine articles about the NAACP and LDEF activities; several folders of newspaper clippings related to civil rights cases in Alabama and Mississippi in which Motley was involved as counsel for the LDEF, including Lucy v. U. of Alabama, a 1956 desegregation case and the bus boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956 and 1961. Petitions Motley submitted to withdraw from her NAACP cases when she assumed the Manhattan Borough Presidency in 1965 are also included here. These documents provide an overview of the numerous civil rights cases that she and the LDEF staff were litigating at that time.
A small subseries related to Motley's term on the New York State Advisory Council on Unemployment and Employment Insurance contains printed material relating to land value taxation, an issue before the Council at that time. Her letter of resignation from the Council in 1964 is also filed here, with Governor Nelson Rockefeller's response.
The Borough of Manhattan subseries includes campaign material, press releases, the 1965 Annual report of the Borough, and subject files. The campaign material relates to Motley's campaign for re-election as President of the Borough in November 1965. The subject files are arranged alphabetically and include material related to various projects, committees, and miscellaneous social and political issues that surfaced from February 1965 to August 1966. Topics include the revitalization of Harlem; housing discrimination and tenants' rights; and a White House conference on civil rights in which Motley participated. There is also a file containing articles and letters regarding city taxi drivers accused of discriminating against blacks, including a New York Post article by Langston Hughes. For more information on Motley's activities during her term as Borough President, see SERIES IV. SPEECHES, which focuses mainly on that time period.
The Federal District Court subseries includes subject files; clippings related to miscellaneous cases; applications for jobs received by Motley when she first assumed the judgeship; and congratulatory letters from other Southern District Judges upon her appointment to Senior status in 1986 (other congratulatory letters are filed in SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE-General). The series includes legal documents, articles, and letters reflecting both positive and negative public reaction to Motley's controversial decision in Ludtke v. Kuhn, the 1978 case in which Judge Motley ruled that Melissa Ludtkea sports writer for Time, Inc., be admitted to the New York Yankees' locker room. Another file contains both positive and negative responses to her decision regarding police protection of Vietnam war protesters in Belknap et al v. Leary (1970).
This series contains mostly typescripts of speeches written and delivered by Motley from 1963 to 1988. They are arranged chronologically and in some cases are accompanied by fliers, posters, or other printed material. Related correspondence, (invitations and responses, travel arrangements, etc.) can be found in SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE-General. The bulk of the speeches are from Motley's term as Manhattan Borough President in 1965. Recurring topics include civil rights; urban development (especially in Harlem) and neighborhood programs (such as the Henry Street Settlement); equality in education; women in politics and the legal profession; and leadership in the black community. In addition there are tributes to prominent individuals; commencement speeches; fundraising for community organizations; civic events; and papers given at panels, conferences and lecture series.
(untitled) "The increased pressures of the times...,"
WNYC radio broadcast, "Rebuilding Harlem,"
YMCA conference, "New Horizons for Women in the Political and Social Life of the Nation,"
Bennett College Symposium "The College Woman in Today's World,"
"Legal Defense Fund Award to Judge Robert L. Carter,"
Two databases and supporting documents created as part of Ford Foundation project, 1995. The first dataase is a catalog of Motely's papers at both Columbia University and the Sophia Smith Collection. The second database is case decisions and summaries. There are also text documents containing biographical information, and case summaries (see detailed description in box 15).
The contents of two floppy disks, including exports from two Filemaker Pro databases and additional text documents were copied to networked storage for preservation. The case summaries were also received as digital files (Word docs) and many (but not all) were printed for the collection.
International Research Committee on Real Estate Taxation, "A Graphic Summary of Municipal Improvement and Finance as Affected by the Untaxing of Improvements and the Taxation of Land Values,"
This addition to the Constance Baker Motley papers contains the materials collected by her son, Joel Motley after her death in 2005. The collection primarily focuses on Motley's professional writing and speeches, containing Motley's judicial opinions from 1977-1997. In addition, the collection includes several annotated Supreme and District Court decisions dating from 1955-1963, as well as booklets concerning racial discrimination in education and housing. The collection also documents commemorative events in Motley's honor after her passing, such as the Constance Baker Motley symposium at Quinnipiac University in 2009.
Papers relating to the planning session for the White House Conference "To Fulfill These Rights"
NAACP booklet "Racial Inequality in Education"
American Missionary Association booklet "If Your Next Neighbors are Negros"
Commerce Cleaning House booklet "Civil Rights Act of 1964 with explanation"
United States Commission on Civil Rights report "Voting in Mississippi"
Handwritten notes for "Life and Liberty"

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