New book tells the story of a Mass. senator who pushed for school integration a century before it became reality

,The phrase "equality before the law" is so foundational to American life, it's easy to forget someone had to make the case for it. That person was Charles Sumner, a Boston-born senator and abolitionist.

A new biography by Zaakir Tameez called "Conscience of a Nation" takes a fresh look at Sumner's life. Tameez joins WBUR's Morning Edition to talk about Sumner's fight for school desegregation and justice in America.