Well-known jurist tells crowd of his emotional life history

Penn Trustee Emeritus A. Leon Higginbotham condemned the legal system's racist past. Eighteen years after the publication of his first book, In the Matter of Color, famed jurist A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. has published a long-awaited sequel, Shades Of Freedom. The University Trustee emeritus and former Sociology professor spoke about the book and his distinguished career to a crowd that packed Harrison Auditorium Monday afternoon. Higginbotham, known as an authority on race in America, has served as a federal judge and taught at several universities. In 1995, his years of work on racial issues earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom -- the United States' highest civilian award. His scholarly work has frequently focused on the American legal system's historical mistreatment of blacks and his new book returns to that topic to examine the current situation. University President Judith Rodin introduced Higginbotham by telling a story of his college years. As a poor black student at Purdue University, he quickly learned the harsh reality of racism when he was refused a dorm room and placed instead in a cold attic. Overcoming these types of obstacles, Rodin said, proved that "getting to the top matters less than what you do when you are up there." After several laudatory introductions, Higginbotham's towering figure finally took the stage. With both pictures and words, he told his story. As a young boy, Higginbotham said, he was told his race would always prevent him from achieving his childhood dream of becoming a fireman. His mother became his one positive influence. She told him he could do anything he wanted. "You'll be the driver of that [fire] truck," she had said. And his mother's undying faith in his abilities became his career-long inspiration and catalyst. During his lecture, Higginbotham intertwined stories of his personal life with the history discussed in his books. He praised Frederick Douglass and discussed the legal implications of Plessy v. Ferguson, the Supreme Court's notorious 1896 decision that legitimized the doctrine of "separate but equal." In perhaps the lecture's most emotional moment, he showed a picture of a black man being burned to death, while well-dressed white people watched in the background. Although his talk and book deal with tragic points in American history, Higginbotham's tone remained optimistic. "I do not say with confidence that we will solve the problems with the speed they should be solved, or that we will solve all the problems," he said. "But there are many rays of light that give us hope for tomorrow." College senior Afsaan Saleem said Higginbotham's speech taught the audience to "never give in to norms. Always challenge them." And Higginbotham said that was the message he hoped to transmit. "I want them to know that each generation can make a difference," he said, speaking of his audience. Following his speech, the author signed books at a reception in the University Museum's Chinese Rotunda. A former law clerk for Higginbotham, 1967 Wharton graduate and 1970 Law graduate Robert Potamkin, sponsored the lecture. Potamkin called his mentor "one of Philly's greatest gifts to the world."