"Marching Toward Justice: The History of the 14th Amendment," a poignant exhibit highlighting the struggle of African Americans for equal rights under the Constitution, continues its national tour with opening ceremonies in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Friday, March 22.

The exhibit has been garnering praise from visitors since its official unveiling at the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building in Washington, D.C., three years ago. Former President Bill Clinton, members of the federal judiciary and Congress, Rosa Parks and Cecilia Marshall (wife of the late Justice Marshall) were among those on hand for the opening in the nation's capital.

Touring under the auspices of the Damon J. Keith Law Collection of African-American Legal History at the Wayne State University Law School, the 800 square foot, paneled exhibit incorporates photographs, drawings and reproductions of documents to tell the story of African Americans' quest for justice. It covers topics ranging from slavery to black soldiers in the Civil War, and from the Emancipation Proclamation to ratification of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

"The exhibit was created as a means to help inform the public regarding the fundamental importance of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and our nation's quest to realize the ideals freedom outlined in the Declaration of Independence," explains Damon J. Keith, judge of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, who has a master's degree in law from Wayne State. He has taken an active interest in the exhibit from the time of its creation for the Keith Collection by Exhibit Works, a design firm in Livonia, Mich.

"The 14th Amendment redefined the nature of citizenship and fulfilled the promise of the American Revolution that all men are created equal and entitled to full and equal protection under the law," Keith says.

General Motors Corp. is sponsoring the Marching Toward Justice exhibit, which has appeared in 14 major cities around the country. It will be on display at the Grand Galleria in St. Thomas through May 3. It will then go to Vanderbilt University in Nashville for a May 17 opening celebrating the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision.

The traveling exhibit is an outgrowth of the Keith Collection, which was established at Wayne State in 1993 and is named in honor of the widely known federal judge who donated many of his personal papers and photographs. Donors have contributed over $2 million to maintain and expand the collection.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 14 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students in metropolitan Detroit.

Contact: Lawrence Mann, director of the Keith Collection at the Law School
Voice: (313) 577-5487