J.R. Clifford and Joel Elias Spingarn (Set of 6)

Description

J.R. Clifford and Joel Elias Spingarn were two of the most influential civil rights pioneers of the early 20th century. J.R. Clifford, a lawyer, was born in Virginia in 1848 and was the first African American to be admitted to the West Virginia Bar. He was a leader in the fight for racial equality, playing a key role in the Supreme Court’s decision in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case, which established the doctrine of “separate but equal” in public facilities. Clifford was also the first president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Joel Elias Spingarn was born in New York City in 1875. He was a civil rights advocate and philanthropist who served as the second president of the NAACP from 1909 until his death in 1939. Spingarn was instrumental in the founding of the organization and chaired the NAACP’s Legal Committee, which successfully fought to overthrow the Plessy decision. His philanthropy extended beyond the NAACP to include other civil rights, education, and music organizations.

Clifford and Spingarn were both influential in the civil rights movement, and their legacies live on today. They were honored by the United States Postal Service in 2009, with a stamp commemorating their work.