Civil Rights Queen

Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality

By: Tomiko Brown-Nagin

Narrated by: Karen Chilton

A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • The first major biography of one of our most influential judges—an activist lawyer who became the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary—that provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th Century. • “Timely and essential."—The Washington Post

“A must-read for anyone who dares to believe that equal justice under the law is possible and is in search of a model for how to make it a reality.” —Anita Hill

With the US Supreme Court confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, “it makes sense to revisit the life and work of another Black woman who profoundly shaped the law: Constance Baker Motley” (CNN). Born to an aspirational blue-collar family during the Great Depression, Constance Baker Motley was expected to find herself a good career as a hair dresser. Instead, she became the first black woman to argue a case in front of the Supreme Court, the first of ten she would eventually argue. The only black woman member in the legal team at the NAACP's Inc. Fund at the time, she defended Martin Luther King in Birmingham, helped to argue in Brown vs. The Board of Education, and played a critical role in vanquishing Jim Crow laws throughout the South. She was the first black woman elected to the state Senate in New York, the first woman elected Manhattan Borough President, and the first black woman appointed to the federal judiciary.

Civil Rights Queen captures the story of a remarkable American life, a figure who remade law and inspired the imaginations of African Americans across the country. Burnished with an extraordinary wealth of research, award-winning, esteemed Civil Rights and legal historian and dean of the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Tomiko Brown-Nagin brings Motley to life in these pages. Brown-Nagin compels us to ponder some of our most timeless and urgent questions--how do the historically marginalized access the corridors of power? What is the price of the ticket? How does access to power shape individuals committed to social justice? In Civil Rights Queen, she dramatically fills out the picture of some of the most profound judicial and societal change made in twentieth-century America.

©2022 Tomiko Brown-Nagin (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A New Yorker and TIME Best Book of the Year • PEN/Jacqueline Bogard Weld Award Finalist • Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist • Winner of the OAH Darlene Clark Hine Award • Winner of the 2023 Lillian Smith Book Award • Winner of the 2023 Coif Book Award • Longlisted for the Plutarch Award

“This nuanced biography of Constance Baker Motley examines the paradoxes in the remarkable life of a ‘first’: the first Black woman elected to the New York State Senate, the first female Manhattan borough president, the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary…That Motley is little known today is ‘a kind of historical malpractice,’ Brown-Nagin writes; this book is a convincing corrective.” —The New Yorker

“I was thrilled to read this book…it is the perfect thing to read right now.” —Jasmine Guillory, The Today Show

Amazing history lesson in an accessible story

This book is so good. Once I started, it was difficult to lay down. The narrator has a great voice as well. Off to but the physical version of the book.

Very informative

Great book that brings to life a great woman in history. Lots of black history in this book that I missed growing up white in the 1950s and 60s. The fight for the rights of women and for the rights of people of color continues on today. We need more Constance Baker Motleys.

I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated all of the historical references

As a native of New Haven and graduate of Hillhouse High School, I am disheartened to say that I only recently learned about the Honorable Judge Baker-Motley’s connections to the Dixwell neighborhood of New Haven and Yale University, from an exhibit at Yale.

Queen Indeed!

What an incredible life Judge Motley had! She changed the trajectory of so many lives and helped put our country on the right path towards full citizenship for all.

The reader did an excellent job in conveying the complexity and richness of Judge Motley. The subject matter would have been less interesting if the reader hadn’t been so good.

Thank you Professor Brown-Nagin! The audiobook was so fantastic, it made me want to read the book.

Ruling: A Great Book

A thoughtful, inspiring book about a dynamic woman who helped shape the American legal system.

Don’t miss this one

Such an important and thorough coverage of the life and contributions of this iconic woman. I learned so much. Don’t miss!

A Life Well Lived

Loved it. The "Civil Rights Queen" is a must at anytime but especially during Women's History Month. It offers some landmark judicial decisions that have impacted our lives and have held America true to it's promise of liberty and justice for all thanks to Judge Constance Baker Motley and her contemporaries. As a child of the 60s, born and raised in the South, it provided a clearer picture of the judicial and personal struggle and sacrifice of Attorney Baker Motley to afford me my education and civil rights.

Wonderful insights to an historic woman

As a female attorney and judge for over three decades, I so appreciate the in-depth story of a woman who should be as well-known as Thurgood Marshall and RBG. Fantastic!

Brilliant

A riveting biography of a brilliant attorney at the vanguard of civil rights litigation in the 40s through 60s, and a path breaker for black women & all women into political leadership and the federal judiciary. The author does an excellent job of explaining legal issues in Motley’s cases.

Amazing American

The book was well written and read. I found every chapter informative and inspiring. I especially would like to encourage young ladies to read the book.