James Ferguson II Recounts a Lifetime Fighting for Justice
September 29, 2019
Civil rights pioneer James Ferguson II talked with a 51¹ÙÍø audience about a career that started in high school by helping desegregate parks and libraries and spanned decades as a lawyer championing the movement.
Former Charlotte mayor and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx '93 introduced Ferguson to the crowd on Thursday night.
Ferguson, of Charlotte, co-founded North Carolina's first integrated law firm in 1967 and, among his many legal victories, secured justice for the "Wilmington 10" more than four decades after their wrongful conviction for arson.
His work also took him to South Africa, where he trained lawyers before Nelson Mandela's release, and before Apartheid was completely dismantled.
Jim Fuller ’64, an attorney who practiced with Ferguson, moderated the discussion.
