Hidden Legal Figures

Hidden Legal FiguresDerrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com. Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the historical figures in this episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

The Dred Scott case was the straw that broke the camel’s back. America spent the first half of the nineteenth century grappling with the issue of slavery and how the peculiar institution would be handled. Scott v. Sanford was the culmination of Freedom Suits as slaves who were brought into free territory were taking to the courts to achieve emancipation. The decision of the United States Supreme Court plunged the nation headlong into Civil War and the more important work of setting forth the citizenship rights of African Americans.

This episode features the voice talents of Yvonne Godfrey, Esq. as President Abraham Lincoln; Saundra M. Davis, Esq. as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D. as President Ulysses S. Grant.

Excerpts of dramatic portrayal of Dred Scott and Harriett Scott from "A Bid for Freedom," used by permission from the National Park Service/Gateway Arch National Park.

Hidden Legal FiguresDerrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, ProducerMarvin Cummings, Special Voice Cover

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the historical figures in this episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

All the polls have been taken. All the fundraising dollars have been spent. And all the votes have been cast. Do the 2020 elections remind us of an earlier American period? Does it offer lessons we should have learned before? In this episode, we are joined by four special guests to help answer these questions as we connect the past to the present. Stephanie Cho, Executive Director, Asian American Advancing Justice-Atlanta, Bryan Sells, Law office of Bryan Sells, Cheryl Turner, Esq, and Nsé Ufot, Executive Director, The New Georgia Project make up our panel discussion this month to help us figure out what impact the 2020 election will have on the conditions that frame the rights and liberties of everyday citizens.

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

Grandfather clauses, literacy tests, and poll taxes became the tools of disenfranchisement. But all across the nation, lawyers quickly went to work defying the odds to dismantle those efforts. In this episode, we highlight the major cases that were the early attempts to chip away at these pernicious practices.

This episode features the voice talents of our host portraying Wilford Horace Smith, the first attorney to challenge voting rights discrimination.

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the historical figures in this episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

 

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

 

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

The 1876 Presidential Election marked the official beginning of the end of Reconstruction. Shortly after, many southern states changed their constitutions to set forth legal barriers to the right to vote. Economic insecurity and waves of violence accelerated the national abandonment of the post-civil war goals of full citizenship for the newly emancipated. In this episode, we examine the social, political, and legal forces that hindered a new beginning for the nation.

This episode features the voice talents of our host portraying Levi Nelson, one of the survivors of the 1873 Colfax Massacre.

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the historical figures in this episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

Today we take a break from our regular episodes to remind you that your vote matters. Just like the lawyers we feature, our host is following their example and volunteering today as a lawyer observer at many precincts. We hope all Hidden Legal Figures listeners are registered, active voters, and that you have or will be voting today. Others may have been told to stand by - - but today, you step up!

 

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

Join us for our first expert panel discussion on contemporary challenges to voting concerns. 

 

Panel Participants:

Tharon Johnson

Tharon Johnson is the founder and CEO of Paramount Consulting Group, a firm specializing in media relations, government affairs and electoral strategy. He has served at senior levels of federal, state and local campaigns, including those for former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Congressman John Lewis and former President Barack Obama. He continues to advise members of Congress and leaders in city and state government.

Tharon is frequently quoted in Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Politico, Roll Call, The Hill and other publications. He regularly appears as a key contributor on several news channels and television shows, including CNN, as well as Georgia Public Broadcasting’s "Political Rewind" and “Lawmakers," to provide insights and analysis of political developments at the national, state and local levels. In addition to "The Georgia Gang", Tharon is a permanent contributor to WABE’s “Political Breakfast” podcast with Denis O’Hayer.

In 2012, Tharon was honored by Georgia Trend magazine as a recipient of their “40 under 40 Award,” recognizing Georgia’s Best and Brightest, and by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a recipient of their “40 under 40, Atlanta’s Rising Business and Community Leaders Award.” James Magazine named Mr. Johnson one of the top 25 most influential Georgians. Additionally, Politics Magazine named Tharon among the Top 10 Democrats in Georgia, and he was the only African-American to be named a Campaigns & Elections 2010 Rising Star. In addition to his political honors, he was awarded the Unsung Hero award by his alma mater Clark Atlanta University.

 

Brian Robinson

Brian Robinson is the owner of Robinson Republic, a communications consulting firm. He previously served as the deputy chief of staff for communications for Gov. Nathan Deal after serving as the communications director during Deal’s 2010 campaign. Robinson was named to the University of Georgia’s 2012 “40 Under 40” class and is an alumnus of the 2015 Leadership Georgia class. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. Robinson and his wife, Corinna, have one daughter. They are members of Peachtree Presbyterian Church and reside in Brookhaven.

 

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

Should the newly freedmen have the right to vote? Yes, said the Reconstruction Congress, and with the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment, the problem is solved.

Or is it?

This episode features the outstanding vocal talents of Marvin Cummings portraying John Mercer Langston, Attorney Quintin McGhee portraying Thaddeus Stevens, Attorney Yvonne Godfrey as Maria Chandler and Susan B. Anthony and Attorney Saundra M. Davis portraying Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the historical figures in this episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com.

Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

To be readmitted to the Union, states who had been part of the rebellion had to establish new constitutions with protections for the newly freed black people. Georgia held a constitutional convention in 1868 which produced some startling results. David Parker, professor of History at Kennesaw State University sheds some light on Amos T. Ackerman, a lawyer whose work during this era offers important lessons for our present-day challenges.

David B. Parker earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1988 and his M.A. in 1982. He earned an A.B. degree from Duke University in 1979. He has been a professor at Kennesaw State University since 1993.

This episode features the outstanding voice talents of Attorney Saundra M. Davis portraying Maria Carter.

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the current episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday.

Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com. Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.

What’s next now that the war between the states is over? Among the biggest concerns facing the republic is what to do with the newly freed slaves – and how to do it. Black voting rights becomes one of the main goals of the Reconstruction era. In this episode, we uncover the competing legal and political viewpoints that shaped the beginning of Reconstruction and black voting rights.

This episode features the voice talents of (in order of appearance):Yvonne Godfrey, Esq. (President Abraham Lincoln)Derrick Alexander Pope (Frederick Douglass)Marvin Cummings (John Mercer Langston)Kerwin D. Sims (Sidney Andrews)Derrick Alexander Pope (President Andrew Johnson)Quinton McGhee, Esq. (Thaddeus Stevens)

 

Be sure to catch REVEALED: BEHIND THE HIDDEN LEGAL FIGURES podcast blog post each Wednesday for more in-depth information about the current episode and watch the "What I Learned" video on YouTube each Thursday. 

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Derrick Alexander Pope, J.D., HostTerrass Misher, Producer

To find out more about Hidden Legal Figures, or to support the podcast, go www.hiddenlegalfigures.com. Join us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/hidden_legal_figures and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HLFpodcast

Hidden Legal Figures is licensed for the exclusive use of The Arc of Justice Institute, Inc. The Arc of Justice Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, public educational institution. Hidden Legal Figures: The Podcast copyright © 2020 by Derrick Alexander Pope. All rights reserved.