Restrictions to Access

No restrictions. Open for research.

Copyright Notice

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers,or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], in the J. Kenneth Lee Papers, #4782, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Provenance

Received from J. Kenneth Lee of Greensboro, N.C., in November 1995 (Acc. 95140).

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

• African American lawyers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• African American universities and colleges--North Carolina.
• African Americans--Civil rights--North Carolina.
• African Americans--Education (Higher)--North Carolina.
• Beech, Harvey E., 1923-
• Civil rights--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• College integration--North Carolina.
• Education, Higher--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Law--Study and teaching--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Lawyers--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• Lee, J. Kenneth (John Kenneth), 1923-
• North Carolina College at Durham. School of Law--History.
• North Carolina--Race relations--20th century.
• Segregation in higher education--North Carolina--History--20th century.
• University of North Carolina (1793-1962). School of Law--History.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill--History--20th century.

J. Kenneth Lee was born in Charlotte, N.C., on 1 November 1923, the thirteenth of fourteen children. Lee was graduated from Capital Highway High School in Hamlet, N.C., in 1941 with highest honors. He was graduated from North Carolina A & T with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1945. He also served as electrician's mate, second class, in the Navy during World War II.

Lee became one of the first two African Americans to attend the University of North at Chapel Hill when he and Harvey Beech were admitted in June 1951 after a lengthy lawsuit and appeal against the University. They also were the first African American graduates from UNC when they received their Juris Doctoris degrees (formerly LL.B.) in 1952.

Lee was involved in over 1,700 civil rights lawsuits during his 38 years of legal practice. He was also founder, president, and chairman of American Federal Savings & Loan, the second African American-owned thrift in the state. Lee has served on the Barber Scotia College Board of Trustees and as a member of the North Carolina Banking Commission, the Minority Business Enterprise Advisory Board, the Commission on Human Relations (Greensboro, N.C.), and the National Bar Association Hall of Fame, among other public service and honorary positions.

Papers relating primarily to J. Kenneth Lee's lawsuit to attend the University of North at Chapel Hill's School of Law. Included in Series 1 are copies of court papers and copies of newspaper clippings describing the court battle and the University's reaction. Also included are some materials pertaining to the Law School at the North Carolina College at Durham (formerly the North Carolina College for Negroes and currently North Carolina Central University). Series 2 contains biographical information. Photographs of Beech and Lee registering and attending class are located in Series 3.