Description

Viewed by many as the worst decision ever by the United States Supreme Court, Plessy v. Ferguson helped establish Jim Crow segregation in the American South. But many who have heard of Plessy don’t know the fascinating though tragic story behind the case. It’s a story born in New Orleans of activist Afro-Creoles and includes complex yet heroic figures. In this talk, University of Maryland legal and constitutional historian Michael Ross will bring the story of Plessy to life, while also explaining the decision’s deleterious impact on American law and race relations.