studi es, whi cll bega n ea rlier at segregated AM & N (now University of at th e triaJ court level co ntending that the co nfession was coerced . Arkansas, Pine Bluff), but had been inrerrupted by the war. He also challenged the systematic excl usion of black people fro m the An orney Flowers acco mpanied the pair in case there was any trou- jury pool. He lost all the way th rough state co urt, Set Pllyne v. Stllte, ble. Silas Hum was accepted into me law school and became the first 226 AIk. 9 10 (1956), and took an appeal to the U.S. Supreme black perso n admined. W iley Bramon was denied admission to the Co urt. In Payn,v. Arka/IJfJ.f, 356 U.S. 560 (1958), the U.S. Supreme undergraduate school. He returned to Pine Bluff and re-enrolled in Co urr agreed mat rhe confession was coerced and reversed the state co urt co nvicri on. Payne go t a new triaJ . was again co nvicted , but was AM &N co complete his undergraduate studi es. Upon graduation from AM &N, \Viley Branton applied for given a life sentence and spared the death penalty. adm ission ro me law school at FayettevilJ e and was accepted. In In another early c.1se represem ing a black cl ient involving a la nd 1949, he was in his mid-twenties. was married, had three child ren, dispute pending in Star C ity, W iley Bramon had received word that and was sti ll running the famil y's if he showed up in Star C ity, he could taxicab business in Pine Bl uff. ~ai ex pect to meer wit h violence. H is Because me uni ve rsity did not proresponse was to strap on his military iss ued Colr 45 se mi-autO, which was vide housing for its handfu l of black legal to wear at th e time as lo ng as it students, he was forced to buy a 1m was nor co ncealed, and of the type and build a house in Fayen eville so that he could have his fam ily with issued by the mi litary. He wem to him. co urt, too k ca re of h is c1ienc's business, I was born in Fayen eville in 195 1, and had no problem. In th is early period, he had at leas t at the Washington Coun ty Hospital, whil e my fa ther was attending law twO other cases that he successfull y school. Beca use of the light com plexhandl ed befo re the Arkansas Supreme ion of my parems, hospital staff Court. S" \'(1zbbas,ka Sc"ool District thought they wefe whitei and co nseNllmb" 7 v. j o/mson, 225 AIk 982 (1956), a teaeher fair dismissal case; qu endy, my mother was placed in a se mi-private or priva te room . Somehow the hospital discove red that and Brooks v. Burgess, 228 Ark. 150 (1957), a usury case. These early cases demonstrate that Wiley Bra ntOll was will ing to my parenrs were black, and my mmher was moved to the "colored ward" or a less desirable room. As the Story goes, upon my fa ther's take on controversial and diffi culr cases. He showed great comperetu rn to the hospital, and not fi nd ing my mother in the room in tence and d iligence in the legal marrers em ru S[cd ro his care. Lega l which he had previously left her, he becam e aJarmed th at something fees were a secondary considerati on. He often worked for litcie or no terrible had happened. The hospital informed my fa ther that his wife fee. And he appeared fea rless. had been moved to another room beca use she was "colored" and perhaps nO( even a residell[ of the coun ty. My father reportedly The Little Rock respo nd ed th at he and his wi fe were residenrs of Washington Co un ty Central High School C risis As ide from being an active member of the NAAC p, W iley by virtu e of him having built a house and hav ing paid taxes there. He threa tened that if my mother was not placed back into the ni cer Bramo n aJso becam e a "cooperating" attO rney wi m the AACPruu m, he would fil e a lawsuit and have "little black boys" swim ming LD EF. The NAAC P-LD EF had a wo rking arrangement with various in their S\vimming pool. My mother was returned to the nice r roo m. lawye rs across th e United States who were will ing to take on civil \'Viley A. Bran to n himself was repea tedly the target of both rac ism ri ghts cases. T he level of involvement of the NAAC P-LDEF with a and racial discrimin ation, although I am hesitant to call him a vic- case involving a cooperating attorn ey va ried and depended upon the tim . To th e extem under his control, he simply refused to be a vic- significance of a parti cular case. In 1955, and in res ponse to the Brown decision, the Little Rock rim; and he had the abili ry and [he will to fight back. W iley Branton graduated fro m law school in 1952. To his sur- School District (hereinafter "school di strict") had ann ounced a gradprise, he even passed the bar exam before he graduated . Apparentl y ual plan of integration. T he school district plan called for integraby mistake, he was perm in ed to joi n the Arkansas Bar Associatio n. tio n at the senior high school level first, followed by integration at This m istake was co nfirmed when he attempted to pay his du es the the junior high school level , and then the elementary school leve l. seco nd year. His check was return ed to him, uncashed. He did get Hi gh school integration was ro start in the 1957- 1958 school yea r. co nfirmation thac his race was the reason his membership dues were No target dates were set for further imegra tio n. Moreover, the plan rejected . did not call for full integrati on, but only allowed fo r a limi ted number of black students to anend some white schools. Early Legal Career When leaders of both the state and local chapters of the AACr Shor tly after openin g his Jaw practi ce 111 Pine Bluff. he was were unable to ger the schoo l d istrict to undertake a more aggressive appoi nted as a special depu ty prosecuror in Ashley Coun ty to assist integra tion plan. these leaders co ntemplated rh e filing of a lawsui t. in the prosecution of a white truck driver who had been accused of Wi ley Bramon was invited to mee t with Reve rend J. C . C renshaw, sex ual ly abusing a 16-year-old black femaJ e. It was unusual to pros- president of th e Li ttl e Rock Branch, NAA Pj Mrs. Daisy Bates, ecute whi te peo ple for such offenses commi tted against a black vic- presidenr of the State Co nference of Branches, NAAC Pi and other tim . T he man was co nvicted . See \~tt v. Stille, 222 Ark. 483 (1953). local NAAC P officials and black parents to discllss rhe iss ue of filin g In the mid 1950s, W iley Branton represented a 19-year-old black a lawsu_it. Wiley Bramon agreed to accept rhe representarion. defendant, convicted of the mu rder of his whi te employe r and se nIn Janu ary 1956, Wi ley Branton fil e(t a lawsui t in me U.S. tenced to death by electrocution. Mr. Branton fi led a timely mO(ion District Court for the Eas tern District of Arkansas on behaJf o f the
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