Arthur Shores facts for kids

Arthur Davis Shores was a very important American attorney who fought for civil rights. He was known as "Alabama's drum major for justice" because he led the fight for fairness and equality for everyone. He was born on September 25, 1904, and passed away on December 16, 1996.

Early Life and Education

Arthur Shores went to Talladega College and was part of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He studied law for one year at the University of Kansas. After that, he continued his law studies through a special program called a correspondence school at La Salle Extension University. This meant he learned by mail.

Fighting for Justice

Arthur Shores passed the Alabama State Bar exam in 1937. Right away, he started using his legal skills to help with civil rights issues.

Voting Rights

In 1938, Shores won a case for seven school teachers. They had been stopped from voting by the Alabama Board of Registrars. His work helped make sure more people could vote.

Equal Pay for Teachers

Shores also represented Black teachers in the Jefferson County School Board. He fought for them to get the same pay as white teachers. This was a big step towards fairness in education.

Railroad Workers' Rights

Arthur Shores was a lawyer for the International Association of Railway Employees. In 1941, he took on a big case called Steele v. Louisville & N. R. Co. A Black railway worker named B. W. Steele argued that a deal between the railway and a white-only union was unfair. Black workers were kept out of the union and then denied better jobs because they were not members. Shores worked on this case with another famous lawyer, Charles Hamilton Houston. They won the case at the Supreme Court of the United States in 1944.

Birmingham, Alabama residents viewing the bomb-damaged home of Arthur Shores on September 5, 1963. The bomb exploded the previous day, September 4, injuring Shores' wife.

Integrating the University of Alabama

In 1955, Shores won another important case at the U.S. Supreme Court, called Lucy v. Adams. This case stopped the University of Alabama from refusing to admit students just because of their race. Because of this, Autherine Lucy became the first African-American student to attend the university in 1956. However, after only three days, a large, angry crowd gathered to stop her from going to classes. The university then suspended Autherine Lucy, saying they could not keep her safe.

Birmingham School Integration

In 1963, Arthur Shores worked to integrate the public schools in Birmingham. This meant allowing Black students to attend schools that were only for white students. This effort led to violence against him and others. His home was attacked with bombs on August 20 and September 4. These attacks happened because Black parents were registering their children at white schools.

The bombings and protests caused the governor, George Wallace, to close the schools. He also sent state troopers to Birmingham, going against the federal court's order to desegregate. Just eleven days after the second bombing at Shores' home, a bomb tragically killed four girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church. In the same year, Shores argued before the Supreme Court that the arrests of peaceful protesters in Birmingham were against the law.

Political Role

During the 1960s, Arthur Shores made history again. He became the first Black member of the Birmingham City Council.

Awards and Recognition

In 1977, the NAACP honored Arthur Shores. They gave him the William Robert Ming Advocacy Award. This award recognized his great dedication and personal sacrifice in his legal work.

Death

Arthur Shores passed away in December 1996 at his home in Birmingham, Alabama. He was 92 years old.