In this recording, Elsa Knight Thompson and attorney Alex Hoffman interview attorney Len Holt. Holt discusses efforts by Southern Blacks to alter the system of Black Codes based upon the "separate but equal" Supreme Court rulings, deliberate side-stepping of desegregation laws, and the mistreatment of blacks in the judicial system. He also discusses the usefulness of non-violent protests, and calls for increased efforts to break down the Southern judicial system.
Additional notes from tape box:
He tells about how difficult it is for a Black to get a lawyer, the underrepresentation of Blacks on juries, and how trials have taken the place of lynchings as a method of race control. The court system simply does not recognize racism as legitimate grounds for either suing or defending against unjust accusations. The freedom riders fear this legal system, but continue anyway. Efforts by the National Lawyers Guild have included recruiting recent law graduates from other parts of the country to come down and defend Black protesters. Holt goes on to discuss the usefulness of non-violent protests, and calls for increased efforts to break down the Southern judicial system.
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