Thurgood Marshall Memorial, Annapolis

The Thurgood Marshall Memorial honors Thurgood Marshall, the first African American justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Dedicated in 1996, it was designed by Maryland sculptor Toby Mendez. It stands near the former site of the Maryland Court of Appeals, where Marshall argued early cases, and recognizes his role in expanding civil rights and challenging segregation laws.

At the center of the memorial stands an eight-foot bronze statue of Marshall shown as a young lawyer. In front of him are two benches with other figures. One shows two schoolchildren with books, representing students affected by the end of school segregation. The other shows Donald Gaines Murray, the law student Marshall represented in an early civil rights case. Visitors can sit on the benches beside these figures.

Marshall worked for many years as a lawyer for the NAACP, arguing civil rights cases. One early victory was Murray v. Pearson, which helped desegregate the University of Maryland School of Law. He later argued Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal segregation in public schools. In 1967 he became the first African American justice on the Supreme Court, serving for almost twenty-four years.