The story of a nearly forgotten lawyer fighting for justice Raymond Pace
Alexander (1897-1974) was a prominent black attorney in Philadelphia and
a distinguished member of the National Bar Association, the oldest and
largest association of African American lawyers and judges. A
contemporary of such nationally known black attorneys as Charles
Hamilton Houston, William Hastie, and Thurgood Marshall, Alexander
litigated civil rights cases and became well known in Philadelphia. Yet
his legacy to the civil rights struggle has received little national
recognition. As a New Negro lawyer during the 1930s, Alexander worked
with left-wing organizations to desegregate an all-white elementary
school in Berwin, Pennsylvania. After World War II, he became an
anti-communist liberal and formed coalitions with like-minded whites. In
the sixties, Alexander criticized Black Power rhetoric, but shared some
philosophies with Black Power such as black political empowerment and
studying black history. By the late sixties, he focused on economic
justice by advocating a Marshall Plan for poor Americans and supporting
affirmative action. Alexander was a major contributor to the northern
civil rights struggle and was committed to improving the status of black
lawyers. He was representative of a generation who created opportunities
for African Americans but was later often ignored or castigated by
younger leaders who did not support the tactics of the old guard's
pioneers. David A. Canton, Hamden, Connecticut, is associate professor
of history at Connecticut College. His work has appeared in Western
Journal of Black Studies, Journal of Urban History, Reviews in American
History, and Pennsylvania History.
