The Tonkon Timeline

1965

Don Marmaduke Fights for Civils Rights in Mississippi

Don-Marmaduke-Timeline

In 1965, founding partner Don Marmaduke joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and traveled to Mississippi to take on unpopular and dangerous cases. His work included a case against the KKK, and another against a white chief deputy sheriff involved in the Freedom Summer Murders. Don’s most prominent case during this time resulted in the desegregation of the Neshoba County Courthouse in Philadelphia, Mississippi, giving Black Americans the ability to register to vote at the courthouse.