Downtown in Columbia in Maury County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
A Legacy of Justice
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 12, 2026
1. A Legacy of Justice Marker
Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908, in Baltimore, Maryland, to William and Norma Marshall. He attended Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and then Howard University School of Law in Washington, D. C., graduating as valedictorian in 1933. By 1934, he was married and practicing law.
Marshall soon went to work for the NAACP and helped establish the Legal Defense Fund. He argued several landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court involving racial discrimination, including Smith v. Allwright and Morgan v. Virginia.
In 1946, Marshall played a key role in the legal defense of Black residents in Columbia, Tennessee, following the events known as the "Columbia Race Riot." Although he fell ill before the trial began in Lawrenceburg, he continued supporting the case from afar and later returned to Columbia to represent the final two defendants. He and his team of NAACP attorneys secured one of the early civil rights' legal victories in the post World-War II South.
Marshall went on to challenge segregation nationwide. His work on Brown v. Board of Education helped secure the Supreme Court's unanimous decision in 1954 to overturn the "separate but equal" doctrine in public education.
He later served as U.S. Solicitor General and was nominated to the Supreme Court by President
this page online
Erected by CPJI.org.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is July 2, 1908.
Location. 35° 36.8′ N, 87° 2.041′ W. Marker is in Columbia, Tennessee, in Maury County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of South Main Street and E 8th Street, on the right when traveling north on South Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 821 S Main St, Columbia TN 38401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in Greater Nashville. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Life in the Shadows of Freedom (a few steps from this marker); A Turning Point (within shouting distance of this marker); The Defendants of 1946 (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial to Black Maury County Citizens (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1946 Columbia Race Riot / A.J. Morton Funeral Home (about 400 feet away); Lillie Mae Glover (about 400 feet away); The Forrest-Gould Affair (about 400 feet away); Andrew Johnson (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, May 12, 2026
2. A Legacy of Justice Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 21, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
