Rockland Unveils Thurgood Marshall Human Rights Monument

NEW CITY, NY — Human Rights Commissioner Constance Frazier, County Executive Ed Day and members and friends of Rockland's Human Rights Commission met Thursday to unveil the new Thurgood Marshall Human Rights Monument in the Dutch Garden next to the county office building.

Eleven years before Brown v. Board of Education, Marshall worked successfully in Rockland to integrate a local school system.

“Today is a landmark in the history of the County of Rockland, and each of you who are present today, will become part of that legacy. I want to personally thank everyone for making a dream become a reality that will live on long after we are gone,” said Frazier.

The following words, attributed to Marshall, are etched on the black marble, which is the backdrop of the monument, “In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”

After a prayer by Pastor Raymond Calman, Day talked about Marshall's impact on Rockland.

Children of color in Hillburn had to attend the Brook School, which didn't have indoor bathrooms, a gym or a library. The main Hillburn School had all the amenities the taxpayers could provide.

A young lawyer, Marshall had just founded the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund. A coalition of Hillburn parents joined with the NAACP in 1943 to successfully gain black students' admittance to the new and improved school facilities. The change set the stage for national school desegregation in 1953.

"While this was just one battle of the hundreds that Thurgood Marshall fought across the nation it was a defining moment in Rockland County," Day said. "Justice Marshall is a fitting example of how we must continue to fight for equality ... I invite all of you to visit this monument and pay tribute to a man who changed the course of history."

The monument was many years in the making. SEE: Rockland Breaks Ground For Thurgood Marshall Monument

The ceremony was live-streamed on the Rockland County Government Facebook page and is available for viewing here: https://fb.watch/8ctxPytzCn/