The Passion of My Times

In 1954, William L. Taylor, a recent Yale Law School graduate, joined Thurgood Marshall’s NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where he would later write the victorious 1958 Supreme Court brief that forced Little Rock, Arkansas schools to desegregate. In this historic book, Taylor recalls the triumphs, setbacks, and ongoing challenges in the battle for civil rights from his own unique and influential perspective. From the tireless struggle to enforce the desegregation of public schools to recent victories protecting the interests of minority schoolchildren in St. Louis, Taylor has influenced policymakers across the political spectrum. He has written landmark pieces of legislation, lobbied them through Congress, and developed strategies that have led to significant social change. In this inspiring insider’s account, Taylor discusses civil rights policy over the decades, while also chronicling his encounters with presidents, other legislators, his work with civil rights leaders, and his friendships with the people he has met in the movement. The civil rights movement has been the passion of our times since Brown v. Board of Education. The Passion of My Times is a significant contribution to the literature of the movement and one that promises to energize a new generation of activists.