Save PS103 - Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School
Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, lived in Baltimore for nearly all of his first 28 years. It was in Baltimore’s public schools where his moral and legal beliefs were forged. From 1914 to 1920, his first six years of segregated public school education, he attended Public School 103. It was within its walls that Marshall learned the U.S. Constitution. (As punishment for acting up in class, the principal sent Marshall to the basement to memorize sections of the Constitution.) The school remained open until the 1970s; the building was used as office space until the 1990s and sat vacant for more than a decade. Groundwork has been laid to prepare the building for re-use: historic structure and interpretive plans were crafted, and in 2010 trash and debris were removed and the walls cleared of lead paint. While important, the work in 2010 was just the first step of restoring this historic building and opening it to the public. As envisioned, open space will be used for community meetings and exhibits will share Marshall’s story. Rehabilitated and restored, PS103 will provide a connection to the past and serve as a living legacy for Justice Marshall.
Tweet
