WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip from 1964, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund attorney Constance Baker Motley answers questions pertaining to the Willis vs. Pickrick Restaurant lawsuit and other cases related to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 posed at a press conference. Motley is accompanied by Atlanta attorney William H. Alexander, the local counsel and original attorney in the Willis vs. Pickrick case, who does not speak. The clip's audio track is inconsistent; some comments may not be completely recorded.The clip begins with Constance Baker Motley, seated at a microphone, reading from a prepared statement that outlines the Pickrick Cafeteria's violation of Section II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination in public facilities engaged in interstate commerce. In this statement, she briefly describes the Pickrick Cafeteria's denial of service to her African American clients, the plaintiffs George Willis, Jr., Woodrow Lewis, and Albert Dunn. The clip jumps, and a reporter asks Motley to convey her opinion regarding Lester Maddox's statements of refusal to integrate his restaurant. She explains to the reporter that this is the reason that they are in court, and that Maddox has not only stated that he would not serve African Americans, but he has actively refused them. She hopes that the court will grant an order that will end Maddox's discriminatory practices. A reporter asks how long it ordinarily takes to receive a court order; Motley notes that a hearing has been set for July 17, 1964, and that it will take...

Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia