Today, few people know the name Charles Hamilton Houston. In 1934, as a little-known black lawyer, Houston traveled throughout the South documenting inequalities between schools for whites and schools for blacks. He led one of the great legal campaigns of the 20th century: the struggle to destroy Jim Crow laws.
This struggle finally culminated in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision Brown v. the Board of Education, in which the Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional.
Houston made his way through the College at a time when it was predominantly white. He faced racial challenges from both his professors and his classmates. Although Houston was excluded from fraternities, he was able to change the way white students perceived African Americans. Houston was known to have frequent study sessions with many of his white friends in his two-room double. McNeil described Houston as a man who was "doggedly determined" to succeed.
Houston was the first African American to speak at an Amherst College graduation. When he chose to focus his speech on Paul Lawrence Dunbar, professors responded by informing Houston that no one really knew much about Dunbar. Houston responded, "You will know him when I'm finished."
After graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the College, Houston studied at Harvard Law School. He was the first African American to be elected to the Harvard Law Review. He went on to graduate at the top of his class at Harvard. After earning an A+ average at Harvard and receiving his terminal degree in law, Houston earned a Doctorate.
Once he finished his studies at Harvard, Houston founded the Houston and Houston law firm with his father. He then started teaching law at Howard University, where he had a tremendous influence upon one of his best students, Thurgood Marshall. At Howard, Houston practiced a new form of "social engineering" that later was called "Houstonian Jurisprudence." McNeil noted that he dedicated his life to gaining rights for all people. "He maintained a life-long commitment to the freedom struggle of African Americans," she said.
Houston wanted to make sure that this nation would not ignore the voice of the African American people. He was brave enough to call into question the practices and ideals of the Supreme Court justices who had declared that "separate but equal" would be sufficient protection for African Americans.
McNeil pointed out that discrimination in the United States was reflected by the discrimination in education. Even today, she explained, as the Supreme Court justices begin to dismantle desegregation laws, they are systematically reversing the progress that scholars like Houston worked so ardently to establish.
In the 50-year anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education, McNeil emphasized the importance of keeping up the activism that has finally started to chip away at American apartheid. "Even in today's scholarship we must always be on guard," she said. "We must all dream big dreams."
McNeil's lecture received rave reviews from students in attendance, many of whom thought that it was wonderful to commemorate the legacy of an alumnus while also remembering the anniversary of Brown. "I think it was one of the better lectures we've had because the material she was speaking on was her passion," said Anthony Jack '07. "She gave you information that made you sit back and wonder. I really enjoyed the lecture."
Jack explained the decision to bring McNeil to the College. "The lecture started out because a student heard her speak in North Carolina and found out from that speech that Houston was an alum of Amherst College," he said.
Co-chair of the Black Men's Group Jordan McKay '07 thought that McNeil's speech was inspiring. "I thought she was amazing," he said. "[The speech] was very well done." McKay added that he liked the way McNeil chose to present the life of Houston. "She explained his college life [at Amherst] and put that into perspective with what he did later on."
After her speech McNeil spent over an hour with students answering their questions and listening to their responses. "The overall response was positive," said McKay. "After the talk a lot of students talked to her on a one-t- one basis."
David Chachere '06, co-chair of the Black Men's Group, complimented McNeil's speech. "She was a wonderful speaker and told us about her experience in the civil rights movement," he said. "Her experiences were unique because she was a family friend of Martin Luther King, Jr."
Natashia Hines '07 was glad that so many people heard McNeil's speech. "I was extremely pleased with the turnout. We had people of all ages and races," she said. "It seemed like the community supported the event. I thought she was an amazing speaker. She had so much knowledge concerning Charles Hamilton Houston."
McNeil specializes in African American history and 20th century United States history with an emphasis on race, law and social movements. She has written several books including, "Historical Judgements reconsidered," "African Americans and the Living Constitution" and "African Americans and Jews in the Twentieth Century."
McNeil's biography of Houston was awarded the distinguished Silver Gavel Award from the American Bar Association. She is currently a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.