Research Catalog

The color of law : Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the struggle for labor and civil rights

Title
The color of law : Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the struggle for labor and civil rights / Steve Babson, Dave Riddle, and David Elsila.
Author
Babson, Steve.
Publication
  • Detroit : Wayne State University Press, [2010]
  • ©2010

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library Sc E 22-525Schomburg Center - Research & Reference

Details

Additional Authors
  • Riddle, Dave.
  • Elsila, Dave.
Description
xi, 558 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations; 24 cm.
Summary
Overview: In a working life that spanned half a century, Ernie Goodman was one of the nation's preeminent defense attorneys for workers and the militant poor. His remarkable career put him at the center of the struggle for social justice in the twentieth century, from the sit-down strikes of the 1930s to the Red Scare of the 1950s to the freedom struggles, anti-war demonstrations, and ghetto rebellions of the 1960s and 1970s. The Color of Law: Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the Struggle for Labor and Civil Rights traces Goodman's journey through these tumultuous events and highlights the many moments when changing perceptions of social justice clashed with legal precedent. Authors Steve Babson, Dave Riddle, and David Elsila tell Goodman's life story, beginning with his formative years as the son of immigrant parents in Detroit's Jewish ghetto, to his early ambitions as a corporate lawyer, and his conversion to socialism and labor law during the Great Depression. From Detroit to Mississippi, Goodman saw police and other officials giving the "color of law" to actions that stifled freedom of speech and nullified the rights of workers and minorities. The authors highlight Goodman's landmark cases in defense of labor and civil rights and examine the complex relationships he developed along the way with individuals like Supreme Court Justice and former Michigan governor Frank Murphy, UAW president Walter Reuther, Detroit mayor Coleman Young, and congressman George Crockett. Drawing from a rich collection of letters, oral histories, court records, and press accounts, the authors re-create the compelling story of Goodman's life. The Color of Law demonstrates that the abuse of power is non-partisan and that individuals who oppose injustice can change the course of events.
Series Statement
Great Lakes books
Uniform Title
Great Lakes books.
Subject
  • Goodman, Ernest, 1906-1997
  • 1900-1999
  • Lawyers > Michigan > Detroit > Biography
  • Civil rights lawyers > Michigan > Detroit > Biography
  • Civil rights > United States > History > 20th century
  • African Americans > Civil rights > History > 20th century
  • Civil rights
  • Lawyers
  • Michigan > Detroit
  • United States
Genre/Form
  • Biographies.
  • History.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (pages 467-542) and index.
Contents
Preface -- 1: In dark times -- 2: Out of the ghetto -- 3: Taking a stand -- 4: Home front -- 5: Hard landing -- 6: Winter soldier -- 7: Getting by -- 8: Conspiracy of belief -- 9: Southern exposure -- 10: Mississippi -- 11: Rebellion and reaction -- 12: Attica -- 13: Longer view -- Notes -- Index -- Photos follow page 284.
Call Number
Sc E 22-525
ISBN
  • 9780814334966
  • 0814334962
LCCN
2010011104
OCLC
574955770
Author
Babson, Steve.
Title
The color of law : Ernie Goodman, Detroit, and the struggle for labor and civil rights / Steve Babson, Dave Riddle, and David Elsila.
Publisher
Detroit : Wayne State University Press, [2010]
Copyright Date
©2010
Type of Content
text
Type of Medium
unmediated
Type of Carrier
volume
Series
Great Lakes books
Great Lakes books.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 467-542) and index.
Chronological Term
1900-1999
Added Author
Riddle, Dave.
Elsila, Dave.
Research Call Number
Sc E 22-525
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