County Legislators Vote to Relocate Thurgood Marshall Statue to More Prominent Location

Rockland County legislators voted 16-0 to relocate the statue of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American member of the U.S. Supreme Court, to a location that provides the level of visibility and prominence that his contributions to our county and our nation deserve.

County Legislators Toney L. Earl and Dana G. Stilley are the main sponsors of the resolution.

“This is an opportunity for Rockland to showcase the great works of Thurgood Marshall,” Legislator Stilley said. “For far too long the contributions of African-Americans have been eliminated from this country’s history – either forgotten, erased, or pushed to the side. This is an important first step to get the statue relocated and I look forward to collaborative, fruitful conversations regarding this soon.”

In 1943, Thurgood Marshall changed the pathway to access equal education by winning a prominent school desegregation case in Hillburn. That case served as the precursor to the landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared that segregation in public education was unconstitutional, cementing his importance to Rockland and our nation.

“A person of Justice Marshall’s stature needs to be in a highly visible location not only so he can be seen, but also so he can inspire generations of youth to continue to fight for justice, equality and human and civil rights,” Legislator Earl said. “There are only a limited number of Supreme Court rulings that have forever changed America’s trajectory and Thurgood Marshall is among the few who have brought about those victories. His contributions as both a Supreme Court Justice and as an African-American Supreme Court Justice must not be diminished in any way.”

Justice Marshall served on the Supreme Court, the nation’s highest court, from 1967 to 1991. Prior to serving on the court, he appeared before it, winning 29 of the 32 civil rights cases he argued, including the landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

In 2021, to honor Justice Marshall’s efforts and accomplishments, Rockland County commissioned a statue of him and created a small parklike setting for its display. However, some people felt it was not a proper place because it is not easily seen by many people. It is located several feet off Main Street in New City, with a road and a parking lot right behind it.

Many community members also voiced concern and requested to relocate the statue, including the Spring Valley Branch of the NAACP, the Nyack Branch of the NAACP, the Pilgrim Baptist Church, the Cavalry Baptist Church, Chief Dwayne Perry of the Lenape Nation, First Emmanual Missionary Baptist Church, and the Rockland County Pride Center. These community members have been involved in furthering the goals and values that guided Justice Marshall in his tireless work for the advancement of civil rights, justice and equality.

The adopted resolution, with full bipartisan support, calls upon all appropriate county agencies to take the necessary steps to relocate Justice Marshall’s statue to a more central and visible location within the county where it can be seen and appreciated by a larger number of people.