Final answer:
Thurgood Marshall was referring to the continued struggle against racism, emphasizing that civil rights victories in court must be accompanied by political action to address systemic inequality fully. He encouraged ongoing public awareness and the dissemination of full facts as critical for maintaining the momentum of the civil rights movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
When Thurgood Marshall refers to the ongoing problems of racism, he is highlighting the persistent racial inequality and systemic injustices that continued despite landmark legal victories. Marshall recognized that legal successes, such as the Brown v. Board of Education case which desegregated public schools, were significant but not the ultimate solution to eradicating racism. To confront these issues, Marshall advocated for the use of both legal and political strategies to achieve comprehensive civil rights progress, acknowledging that true justice involves continuous efforts beyond court rulings.
Through his experiences as a civil rights lawyer and activist, particularly with the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund, Marshall confronted the racist justice system of America. He understood that while court victories were crucial, they needed to be complemented by political actions to create systemic change. The challenge, as he described, was the complexity of the problem and the difficulty for the distant public to fully grasp the magnitude of the plight of marginalized communities.
What Marshall emphasizes in his statement is that awareness, education, and the dissemination of full facts are imperative for society to exercise its compassion and engage in the ongoing battle against racial injustices.