FIRST - African American Supreme Court Justice - Rockville, MD
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 39° 05.037 W 077° 09.104
18S E 313888 N 4328296
One of many historical markers in downtown Rockville.
Waymark Code: WMZFGN
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 11/03/2018
Views: 3
The plaque says, "Should you receive the same pay for doing the same work? William B. Gibbs, teacher and principal of the Rockville Colored Elementary School, thought so, but he had to take the issue to court.
African American teachers had to meet the same qualifications as their White peers but received only half the salary. Gibbs petitioned the Board of Education for equal pay, but the Board denied his petition. Gibbs filed a suit in Montgomery County Circuit Court in 1936.
NAACP attorneys Thurgood Marshall (who later became the nation’s first African American Supreme Court Justice) and Charles Houston (then Vice Dean of Howard University Law School) represented Mr. Gibbs. County School Superintendent Edwin Boome settled out of court, phasing in equal pay over a two-year period. The year after the case was filed, William Gibbs was fired from the Montgomery County School System."
FIRST - Classification Variable: Place or Location
Date of FIRST: Not listed
More Information - Web URL: Not listed
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