Monday, May 20, 2024 | news
The Legal Defense Fund is saddened by the passing of Christopher Edley Jr., a brilliant legal mind and staunch defender of civil rights and racial justice. Edley Jr. died at 71 years old on May 10, 2024, in Stanford, California. LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement: “Mr. Edley, Jr.’s passing is […]
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | news
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) mourns the loss of Charles “Charlie” B. Rangel, former U.S. Representative and congressman for New York City’s 13th Congressional district representing Harlem and its neighboring communities. A Harlem native, army veteran, and one of the city’s influential “Gang of Four”, Mr. Rangel was a devoted and dutiful public servant committed […]
Thursday, January 25, 2024 | news
LDF Tribute to Judith McCartin-Scheide Judith Scheide pictured (middle) at National Equal Justice Awards dinner (NEJAD) in 2016 with guests, including Cecilia Marshall (right). (Source: LDF Archives) The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Judith McCartin-Scheide, a longstanding member of the Board of Directors at LDF, advocate, and a philanthropist […]
Tuesday, November 22, 2022 | news
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Cecilia “Cissy” Suyat Marshall. Ms. Marshall was the wife of LDF’s founder and the nation’s first Black Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, a former staff member and long-standing LDF board member, and a tireless devotee to the cause of equal justice. As a […]
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 | page
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) deeply mourns the loss of Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., a Senior Director member of LDF’s Board of Directors and esteemed attorney who helped drive the advancement of civil rights in America over a venerable career that included leadership roles at the National Urban League, the United […]
Monday, June 10, 2024 | news
The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the death of Ralph Kennedy Frasier, the trailblazing civil rights advocate and attorney. Mr. Frasier passed away at 85 years old on May 8, 2024, in Jacksonville, Florida. LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson issued the following statement: “It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge […]
Tuesday, January 26, 2021 | news
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) mourns the loss of Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron, who passed away on January 22nd in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 86 years old. Mr. Aaron was a legend in baseball best known for breaking the home-run record of Babe Ruth in 1974. Mr. Aaron was inducted into Major League […]
Friday, September 19, 2025 | news
Read a PDF of our statement here. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is deeply saddened by the passing of Agnes Gund, a devoted philanthropist whose enduring commitment to racial and social justice left a lasting impact on both communities and institutions. A renowned art collector and expert, Ms. Gund dedicated her life to using art […]
Monday, November 14, 2016 | news
Service information: A wake for Gwen Ifill takes place on Friday, November 18 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 11 a.m., with a reception to follow. All services will take place at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, 1518 M Street NW Washington, D.C. The NAACP Legal […]
Saturday, September 12, 2015 | news
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) deeply mourns the passing of Solomon Seay, Jr., who worked alongside LDF for decades as a cooperating attorney in Alabama. Mr. Seay was a renowned civil rights lawyer in Alabama, and his civil rights advocacy spanned six decades. After Bloody Sunday in 1965, he and LDF […]
