We Face the Dawn: Oliver Hill, Spottswood Robinson, and the Legal Team That Dismantled Jim Crow

by Margaret Edds

The decisive victories in the fight for racial equality in America were not easily won, much less inevitable; they were achieved through carefully conceived strategy and the work of tireless individuals dedicated to this most urgent struggle. In We Face the Dawn, Margaret Edds tells the gripping story of how the South's most significant grassroots legal team challenged the barriers of racial segregation in mid-century America. Virginians Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson initiated and argued one of the five cases that combined into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education, but their influence extends far beyond that momentous ruling. They were part of a small brotherhood, headed by social-justice pioneer Thurgood Marshall and united largely through the Howard Law School, who conceived and executed the NAACP’s assault on racial segregation in education, transportation, housing, and voting. Hill and Robinson’s work served as a model for southern states and an essential underpinning for Brown. When the Virginia General Assembly retaliated with laws designed to disbar the two lawyers and discredit the NAACP, they defiantly carried the fight to the United States Supreme Court and won. At a time when numerous schools have resegregated and the prospects of many minority children appear bleak, Hill and Robinson’s remarkably effective campaign against various forms of racial segregation can inspire a new generation to embrace educational opportunity as the birthright of every American child.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Politics

424 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2019

Reviews

[Carolyn]

I grew up in Virginia and have lived in Richmond for 40 years and knew some of this history of the rocky road to school integration in Virginia and across the country but I didn't know about the extensive contributions of these two extraordinary lawyers. With detailed and documented research Edds tracks the team of lawyers and their cases and efforts to systematically attack the legal system that kept Jim Crow in place in Virginia and across the south. In her storytelling, Edds relates the hardships, both personally and professionally, that this team and their families suffered to further their cause; in doing so, the reader feels connected to these two men. Trully, this is remarkable history well told.

[Dan Ream]

This is a well-told story of Virginia’s legal battles over civil rights with the focus on the attorneys working for the NAACP, Oliver Hill and Spotswood Robinson . Although this effort is not yet completed , this story of these lawyers courage and determination makes compelling reading. Margaret Edds tells the story with the art of a good novel and as a reader I never lost interest in what was going to happen next. That’s hard to do when writing history, but she achieves it here.

[Ddoddmccue]

Richmond is a city of monuments. A monument on the grounds of the Virginia Capital, within view of the gate to the governor' s mansion, commemorates the Civil Rights Movement of mid-century. It is striking in its contrast with others on the grounds- Founding Fathers frozen on tall stone platforms. The Civil Rights monument is lower, more accessible, populated with numerous figures in varied gestures and emotion. Like the sculpture, Edds book offers a rich and poignant memorial to the values and diligence of both the remembered and forgotten in a continuing chapter in American history.

My knowledge of Hill, Robinson, and others' efforts was greatly enhanced by Edds' painstaking attention to detail. Additionally, her skillful weaving of both contributors and themes offered insights that might have been overlooked by a less attentive author. Edds' account of the Prince Edwards Schools saga serves as a backdrop for the questionable and interrupted education that continues to affect that county's progress today.

The civil rights gains of Hill and Robinson (along with Marshall, Martin, and many more) was hard earned and impressive. Currently unfolding events- including the "blackface" revelations surrounding Virginia's political leadership - suggest that their work is not yet done.

[Linda]

An excellent presentation of the work of the NAACP's Legal Defense Team, led by Hill and Robinson, that led to the Brown v. Board of Education and other significant court decisions that led to the end of a lot of the Jim Crow laws. This is wide-ranging and complete with details about the lawyers, judges, and political power structure in Virginia during the years from the 1930's until about 1970. I learned so much that I didn't know even though I lived during some of those years. I was particularly enthralled reading about the Howard University School of Law and its sharp focus on using the Constitution and the courts to bring equal rights to all Americans. Whew! Massive Resistance was just one tool in the arsenal of our political and legal leaders during those years. We really can't do enough to honor these Black men in particular, but we can continue to advance their work.

[Michael]

This book conveys what a struggle it was to battle Jim Crow and how visceral the racism of the 40s and 50s was. It offers good local history of Richmond and Virginia set against a national backdrop. Edds is a great storyteller and the historical figures come to life in what can be at times a dry accounting of the numerous legal battles she documents. The sheer volume of the court cases goes to show what a legal and personal grind it was for the NAACP. The book is a kind of dual biography of Hill and Robinson, whose stories I am glad to now know.

[Gilbert Ross]

The story of these men is extraordinary. What they and many other ppl had to endure cannot be put into words. I recommend this book for 2 reasons. 1. Is to give the reader a glimpse into what the country was like less than half a century ago. 2. What the benefits can be by coming together as a ppl and fighting for common causes. We as African Americans ppl have a lot to be proud of and this story is an example.

[Judi Niermann]

This was a fascinating tale of two men who dedicated their lives to civil rights, challenging the constitutionality of racial segregation.
It took me awhile to get through this scholarly study, but it was worth it.
The legal struggles were insanely hard fought. The sociological struggles continue to this day.

[Duane]

Well written and researched and fairly brief of history of the key lawyers responsible for desegregating public schools in Virginia. Well worth a read.

[Sue Lindsey]

Well-written, insightful. I learned so much from this.

[John]

a really good history of two men and the fight for school integration.

[Sabra]

Must read for those wanting to understand civil rights.