As they returned home from World War II, proud of their service, Black veterans often encountered suspicion, resentment and, in some cases, brutal violence. Now, in significant measure as a result of an investigation by Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ), K–12 students in North Carolina are learning about one man, US Army Pfc. Booker T. Spicely, who was stationed at Camp Butner and, while on leave and traveling through Durham in 1944, was murdered by a white bus driver for speaking out against Jim Crow and hesitating to change his seat. The state public school lesson plan marks the first time that a murder investigation by CRRJ has directly led to the creation of a case-specific syllabus.

Shaneka Louise Davis ’14 first investigated Spicely’s case in 2014 as a student in the law school’s CRRJ Clinic, and the case is included in CRRJ’s Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive. “As a law student, it was a great privilege to get the opportunity to work toward restorative justice for Private Spicely and his family. I hope that this curriculum will bring the students awareness of the sacrifices that many Black soldiers and their families paid on and off the battlefield and to the opportunities that they now have to become change agents in their communities,” said Davis, who now serves as associate general counsel for UMass Memorial Health Care. As part of the lesson plan, North Carolina students will review World War II, learn about how Black troops fought for victory against fascism overseas and racism at home in what the influential Black newspapers of the day called the Double V campaign, read about Spicely’s murder and then analyze a series of primary source documents to learn more. The lesson culminates with students designing a bus shelter to educate today’s public about the resistance of Black veterans to Jim Crow.

As a law student, it was a great privilege to get the opportunity to work toward restorative justice for Private Spicely and his family.

— Shaneka Louise Davis ’14

In 2022, Davis’ paper on the Spicely case came to the attention of civil rights lawyers and other advocates in North Carolina, who formed a committee to publicize the case and seek remedies on behalf of the Spicely family. The work of the committee also led to the establishment of a scholarship at North Carolina Central University in Spicely’s name and the unveiling of an historical marker at the site of his killing.

“Booker Spicely’s case was not well known when Shaneka Davis found out about it. Her investigation led her to a college student in North Carolina, who shared her research, and Shaneka then published an essay on the CRRJ website. That essay helped resuscitate interest in North Carolina, where activists then launched this successful campaign for a state marker and curricular material,” said Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of CRRJ.