Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP)

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Description

Named in honor of the civil rights attorney and LDF founder Thurgood Marshall, and civil rights litigator Constance Baker Motley, the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP) is a commitment to endow the South with the next generation of civil rights lawyers trained to provide legal advocacy.

Established by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), the Marshall-Motley Scholars Program (MMSP) is committed to identifying and investing in the next generation of aspiring lawyers dedicated to pursuing racial justice in the South, and for whom this work is a personal and professional calling.  The MMSP will support and develop the next wave of civil rights lawyers in the South, where the majority of Black Americans live. Over the next five years, they will invest in the establishment of a corps of 50 civil rights attorneys equipped and prepared to advocate on behalf of Black communities in the South seeking racial justice and equity. Scholars who demonstrate a commitment to this mission will be afforded:

• A full law school scholarship for tuition, room, board, and incidentals to alleviate the debt burden that can prevent future lawyers from pursuing a career as a civil rights lawyer;
• Summer internships with national and regional civil rights organizations with offices in the South focused on racial justice to jumpstart training in civil rights law;
• Two-year postgraduate fellowship at civil rights law organizations in the South fighting to achieve racial justice; and
• Access to special trainings sponsored by LDF and the National Academy of Sciences.