RIP Derrick Bell.

I know it's not a contest or anything, but I feel his loss more than Steven Jobs. Jobs had no direct effect on my life. But Derrick Bell was an inspiration to me. Beyond a doubt, the most important lawyer I ever had a chance to meet. Way I say it is if Thurgood Marshall had the ability to pick his replacement on the SC, his choice likely would have been Bell (his protege and partner at the NAACP Legal Division, back in the day.) NYT Obit, Professor Derrick Bell, Esq.


@ The Root:

A Pittsburgh native, Bell distinguished himself early in his law career through his work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund during the civil rights era. Recruited by Thurgood Marshall, Bell oversaw 300 school-desegregation cases, according to The HistoryMakers. He also served as deputy director of the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. He was known as a pioneer of the study of "critical race theory," which explores racism in laws and legal institutions.

He likely was the greatest "public servant," I ever met. Then again, he's the only actual pioneer and veteran of the Civil Rights era I ever met.