. >> who was hershel cashin? >> my grandfather, he was the first black lawyer in the state of alabama and the architecture of reconstruction. i grew up listening to my father repeat this over and over and my eyes would roll. in the book i go off in search of my fallfish hashim will do the compassion and find out in the ellerbe anbar in 1978 not the first but the fourth colored lawyer in the state and he did serve in reconstruction during reconstruction come to terms in the alabama legislature has a radical republican. my father made it clear as a radical republican. but he was in the architect because by the time he got elected we construction was already closing down but my great grandfather, the gentleman in the picture the next 40 years never stopped giving up on this idea that people of color have a rightful place in politics so he continued to be in the politics and attended for the national conventions and raised a family and my father grew up hearing about it and was determined to as a matter of family hon