William L. Patterson (1891–1980), executive director of the Civil Rights Congress, addressing the Bill of Rights Conference

Once known as “Mister Civil Rights,” the attorney William L. Patterson is shown here (at center) speaking forcefully at a conference hosted by the Civil Rights Congress, a Communist Party-affiliated organization dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of African Americans and left-leaning activists. The large banners behind Patterson visually reinforced the message of the conference: “Free speech, free press, freedom of assembly and of religion are not self-sustaining. Though guaranteed by the Constitution in its Bill of Rights, in times of stress these rights are always threatened.”



This photograph, with banners depicting Thomas Jefferson (right) and the Bill of Rights, displayed alongside the print of the Boston Massacre (above), highlights the continuity of Black liberation movements that have long held up a mirror to the nation, demanding that the United States live up to its founding ideals in ways that paved the way for other freedom movements.