The NAACP mourns the passing of William L. “Bill” Taylor, civil rights attorney, professor and former council to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Taylor passed away on June 28 at the age of 78.
“William Taylor embraced his status as a staunch advocate for educational equity throughout his storied legal career,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous. “His contributions to the desegregation of our nation’s education system were unparalleled and invaluable, and we will miss him.”
Taylor’s esteemed career as a civil rights lawyer spanned six decades. While at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, he worked with legendary NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve as Unites States Supreme Court Justice. Taylor’s reputation was that of a devoted supporter of educational civil rights, and he successfully litigated several public school desegregation cases that followed the NAACP’s historic Brown v. Board of Education victory.
“Bill Taylor was a friend of the NAACP and played a critical role in advancing civil rights in education both in the courtroom and on the national public policy stage,” said NAACP Washington Bureau Director Hilary Shelton. “His steadfast commitment to the enforcement of civil rights was demonstrated by his influence in the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 1982, the passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, among others. His legacy will live on through the landmark legislation and legal battles he so effectively waged and won on behalf of children of all races and ethnicities nationwide.”
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