During the reception before the film’s screening, attendees gathered at WHYY’s headquarters to discuss Marshall’s accomplishments and the ongoing importance of his influence on civil rights and justice today.

“Thurgood Marshall was someone who I studied in law school and he’s been a role model and a guide for me in my own personal career,” said Brian Taylor, a civil rights attorney in Philadelphia who attended along with his wife, Monica Lynn Taylor, “just his strategy in dealing with the string of cases that that culminated in Brown v. Board of Education and I think it was a legal brilliance on his part.”

“He was denied entry into the University of Maryland School of Law, and despite that, he still kept pressing forward,” said attorney Zchagiel Monroe, who heard about the event through Facebook. “Quite frankly, he made being intelligent, academically sound and knowledgeable; he made it cool.”

After the 30-minute portion of the film that was shown, a panel discussion moderated by WHYY’s Studio 2 host, Cherri Gregg, included attorney Samantha Fitzpatrick, president of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia; Judge Kai Scott, district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Michael Coard, criminal defense attorney and host of “The Radio Courtroom” show on WURD Radio.

The panelists broke down their takeaways from the film along with their personal experiences in the field of law and the importance of being informed today.

For those who missed the event, the film will be available for viewing this weekend on WHYY TV12 on Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m.
Attorney and activist Michael Coard answers Cherri Gregg’s question during “Becoming Thurgood” panel discussion. (Eric Nixon/WHYY)