A Video Guide for Teachers
Breaking Barriers: Constance Baker Motley
Background Information:
On September 14, 1921, Constance Baker Motley was born the
ninth of twelve children to Caribbean immigrants. She graduated
from a small high school in New Haven, Connecticut in 1939. While
traveling to attend Fisk University, a historically Black college in
Tennessee, Motley had a life-changing experience. When her train
reached Cincinnati, Ohio, it stopped. Motley got out to stretch.
When she returned to her seat, the porter told her to move to the
“Colored” car. Motley moved, but she did not accept segregation.
She later stole the “Colored” train car sign... and dedicated her life
to fighting for civil rights.
In 1942, Motley transferred to New York University. A year later,
she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics. She then
attended Columbia Law School. After earning her law degree in 1946,
she joined the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund (LDF). Her LDF work
brought her to courthouses throughout the south. In 1962, Motley
gained national attention when she defended Dr. Martin Luther
King and other protesters who had been jailed for leading public
demonstrations. That same year, she made headlines for successfully
defending James Meredith in his attempt to attend the segregated
University of Mississippi. His admittance led to a deadly two-day riot.
After the LDF, Motley continued to break barriers. She was the first
African American woman elected to the New York state senate and
to be Borough President of Manhattan. In 1966, she became the first
Black woman appointed a federal judge.
Throughout her life and career, Judge Motley was a champion for civil
and women’s rights, and worked to break societal limitations. She
passed away in 2005.
Constance Baker Motley with Dr. Martin Luther
King (left) and lawyer William Kuntsler (right).
Courtesy: Bettman/Getty Images
Did You Know?
• During her years with the LDF,
Motley worked on almost 60 cases
that went the Supreme Court.
• Motley argued cases that led to the
integration of six state universities
in Texas, Georgia, Alabama,
Mississippi, Florida, and Oklahoma.
• As a federal judge, Motley
mentored the careers of younger
female judges.
• In 1978, Judge Motley ruled that
female sportscasters are allowed
to report from the locker rooms of
male sports professionals.
Video Discussion Questions
1. What is one way Constance Baker Motley broke racial and gender barriers? (0:17–0:19)
2. Motley helped change many discriminatory practices as a lawyer. Identify one and then
share how you think it has had a long-term impact on people’s lives. (0:44–0:58)
3. What was one struggle Motley faced during her career? (1:10–1:20)
4. Motley was the first female African American federal judge. In what ways does increased
diversity matter in a courtroom?
5. Why are role models important? How is Constance Baker Motley a role model?
© 2021 iCivics, Inc.
Breaking Barriers: Constance Baker Motley
Timeline for Breaking Barriers: Constance Baker Motley
Name:
Directions: Read through the timeline and the “Consider the Context” questions to help place the video’s events in history. Boxed events are
lawsuits Motley either worked on or argued in court.
Plessy v. Ferguson
finds segregation is
constitutional
1896
The Great Depression
The U.S.
enters WWII
1929–1939
1941
1909
1918–1930s
NAACP
founded
Harlem Renaissance
1940
NAACP’s
Legal Defense
Fund is founded
Barbara Johns
leads a school
WWII ends walkout
1945
Brown v. Board
of Education
finds school
segregation
unconstitutional
1951
1948
Shelley v. Kraemer
decides restrictive
covenants
(agreements that
discriminate against
home buyers based
on race or religion)
can’t be enforced
1954
1952
Autherine Lucy
& Pollie Ann
Myers sue the
University of
Alabama for
revoking their
admission for
being Black
14-year-old
Emmett Till
is brutally
murdered
The Little Rock 9
are met with
resistance when
they try to
integrate Central
High School
1955
James Meredith
becomes the first
African American
admitted to the
University of
Mississippi
1957
1956
Rosa Parks
refuses to leave
her seat and
triggers the
Montgomery
bus boycott
1962
The Civil
Rights Act
is passed,
ending
segregation
in the U.S.
1964
1960
1963
1965
Counter sit-ins
in Greensboro,
NC and Nashville,
TN protest
discrimination
in restaurants
Over 250,000
people attend
the March on
Washington
where Dr. King
gives his “I
Have a Dream
Speech”
The Voting
Rights Act
is passed,
removing
discriminatory
barriers to
voting
Consider the Context. Use the timeline to answer the questions before or after
watching the video.
1. Constance Baker Motley joined the Legal Defense Fund as a lawyer in 1946. How
many years after it was founded did she join?
Want to Learn More?
Check out these resources.
2. How many years after Rosa Parks and the Montgomery bus boycott was the Civil
Rights Act passed?
Biography and Quotes
http://bit.ly/3uTwaAU
3. How long after Lucy and Myers sued to attend the University of Alabama was
James Meredith admitted to the University of Mississippi?
Biography and Interview
http://www.visionaryproject.org/
motleyconstancebaker/
4. How long was it from Plessy v. Ferguson to the Civil Rights Act? What does the
length of time tell you about the struggle for civil rights in America?
5. Which historic events may have influenced the fight for civil rights? How or why do
you think they influenced them?
© 2021 iCivics, Inc.
Filmed interview
http://repository.wustl.edu/concern/
videos/c821gm461
Activity