A powerful new exhibit highlighting the struggle of African Americans for equal rights under the Constitution will open with ceremonies Feb. 3 at the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in Washington, D.C.

Cecilia Marshall, widow of the late U.S. Supreme Court justice for whom the building is named, will be the special guest of honor at a reception and program beginning at 6 p.m. She will cut a ribbon marking the official opening of the exhibit.

Titled "Marching Toward Justice: The History of the 14th Amendment," the traveling exhibit was commissioned by the Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American Legal History at Wayne State University in Detroit. It will be at the Marshall Building through Feb. 26. WSU President Irvin D. Reid, the university's first African-American president, will be a guest speaker at the opening event.

Coinciding with the beginning of Black History Month, "Marching Toward Justice" is an 800 square foot modular display tracing the black experience in America from early colonization through the 1950s. Fabricated for the Keith Collection by Exhibit Works Inc. of Detroit, the striking exhibit was first shown at a conference of African-American federal jurists in Detroit last September. Plans are under way for a national tour.

In photographs, drawings and reproductions of documents, the exhibit covers such topics as slavery, black soldiers in the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation and ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868. It also highlights subsequent historical developments, such as the Reconstruction Era and the role of Thurgood Marshall, Charles Houston and other African-American lawyers in making the 14th Amendment a reality.

"We created the exhibit to inform the public about the fundamental importance of the 14th Amendment and our nation's ongoing quest to realize the high ideals of the Declaration of Independence," explains Robert Smith, associate director of the Keith Collection. "The philosophy of justice and equality for all is the founding principle of the nation. In practice, however, African Americans were long denied due process and equal protection under the law." How the legal status of African Americans and the practice of slavery fit into the democratic ideals of the U.S. Constitution remains a critical issue of historical as well as contemporary significance, notes Smith.

The Keith Collection, established at WSU in 1993, is believed to be the only archival collection in the country devoted specifically to African-American judges and lawyers. Supported through contributions, it is named in honor of Damon J. Keith, highly regarded senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Keith, who will be master of ceremonies for the Feb. 3 opening program, has been active in development of the archives, including donation of personal papers and helping build an endowment fund exceeding $1 million.

The traveling exhibit is the Keith Collection's first major outreach project. Other projects are planned, including collection of oral histories, lectures, development of teaching materials and a site on the World Wide Web.

General Motors Corp. is the major sponsor of the Feb. 3 program.

For more information about the 14th Amendment exhibit or the archival collection at WSU, contact the Damon J. Keith Law Collection at (313) 577-3959 or send e-mail to Smith at ad9102@wayne.edu.