"The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr." by Peter J. Hammer (Bicknell Series: 23-24)

This lecture, presented by Peter J. Hammer is based on the book he co-authored with Edward J. Littlejohn: “No Equal Justice: The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr.” This lecture traces the Crockett family history from slavery to George Crockett’s admission into the University of Michigan Law School, his experiences as an attorney and as Judge of Recorder’s Court in Wayne County, Michigan, as well as his twelve years (1979-1991) as the Representative in Michigan’s 13th District, which included a portion of the Grosse Pointes.

Presenter Peter J. Hammer was named the A. Alfred Taubman Endowed Chair at Wayne State University Law School in fall 2018. Hammer has taught at Wayne Law since 2003 and is the director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. The Keith Center is dedicated to promoting the educational, economic and political empowerment of under-represented communities in urban areas and to ensuring that the phrase “equal justice under law” applies to all members of society. Hammer was instrumental in editing and compiling Judge Damon J. Keith’s biography, “Crusader for Justice: Federal Judge Damon J. Keith” (2013).

About the Bicknell Lecture Series:
In 1987, Dr. Frank Bicknell, a long time Grosse Pointe resident and well-known Detroit Medical Center urologist, celebrated his 80th birthday. His daughter and son-in-law established the Grosse Pointe Historical Society's Bicknell Fund to mark his milestone birthday. This fund established the Dr. Frank Bicknell Lecture Series; all Bicknell Lectures are free of charge and open to everyone.