Marshall-Bell Law Society
Marshall-Bell is dedicated to promoting cultural competency and sensitivity in the legal profession, named after Thurgood Marshall and Derrick Bell. Derrick Bell was a civil rights attorney and the first African-American tenured professor at Harvard Law School. His core belief was “the interest convergence dilemma,” that whites would not support efforts to improve the position of blacks unless it was in their interest. While at Harvard, he staged a sit-in to protest the school's failure to grant tenure to two black scholars. His own scholarship, written in a narrative style, contributed to the development of critical race theory. According to Bell, his purpose was to examine the racial issues within the context of their economic, social, and political dimensions from a legal standpoint. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before becoming a Justice, he set out to reverse segregation sanctioned by the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). This led to the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, which he argued before the Court in 1952 and again in 1953. The resulting decision overturned the Plessy doctrine of "separate but equal.” While it applied to segregation in public education, it set the stage for the civil rights movement. According to Marshall, “[w]hat you have to do, white or black, [is] recognize that you have certain feelings about the other race, good or bad. And then get rid of them. But you can't get rid of them until you recognize them.”
Academic/ Professional
Marshall-Bell is dedicated to promoting cultural competency and sensitivity in the legal profession, named after Thurgood Marshall and Derrick Bell. Derrick Bell was a civil rights attorney and the first African-American tenured professor at Harvard Law School. His core belief was “the interest convergence dilemma,” that whites would not support efforts to improve the position of blacks unless it was in their interest. While at Harvard, he staged a sit-in to protest the school's failure to grant tenure to two black scholars. His own scholarship, written in a narrative style, contributed to the development of critical race theory. According to Bell, his purpose was to examine the racial issues within the context of their economic, social, and political dimensions from a legal standpoint. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before becoming a Justice, he set out to reverse segregation sanctioned by the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). This led to the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, which he argued before the Court in 1952 and again in 1953. The resulting decision overturned the Plessy doctrine of "separate but equal.” While it applied to segregation in public education, it set the stage for the civil rights movement. According to Marshall, “[w]hat you have to do, white or black, [is] recognize that you have certain feelings about the other race, good or bad. And then get rid of them. But you can't get rid of them until you recognize them.”
CategoryAcademic/ Professional
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Verified10/5/2026
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Marshall-Bell Law Society
Marshall-Bell is dedicated to promoting cultural competency and sensitivity in the legal profession, named after Thurgood Marshall and Derrick Bell. Derrick Bell was a civil rights attorney and the first African-American tenured professor at Harvard Law School. His core belief was “the interest convergence dilemma,” that whites would not support efforts to improve the position of blacks unless it was in their interest. While at Harvard, he staged a sit-in to protest the school's failure to grant tenure to two black scholars. His own scholarship, written in a narrative style, contributed to the development of critical race theory. According to Bell, his purpose was to examine the racial issues within the context of their economic, social, and political dimensions from a legal standpoint. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before becoming a Justice, he set out to reverse segregation sanctioned by the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). This led to the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, which he argued before the Court in 1952 and again in 1953. The resulting decision overturned the Plessy doctrine of "separate but equal.” While it applied to segregation in public education, it set the stage for the civil rights movement. According to Marshall, “[w]hat you have to do, white or black, [is] recognize that you have certain feelings about the other race, good or bad. And then get rid of them. But you can't get rid of them until you recognize them.”