This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | About 120 items (1.5 linear feet). |
Abstract | J. Kenneth Lee, lawyer of Greensboro, N.C., who became one of the first two African Americans to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Lee received his Juris Doctoris degree in 1952 and was subsequently involved in over 1,700 civil rights lawsuits during his 38 years of legal practice. Papers relate primarily to J. Kenneth Lee's lawsuit to attend the University of North at Chapel Hill's School of Law, where, in June 1951, he and Harvey Beech became the first African Americans to enroll after a lengthy lawsuit and appeal against the University. Included are copies of court papers, photographs of Beech and Lee registering and attending class, 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). |
Creator | Lee, J. Kenneth (John Kenneth), 1923- |
Curatorial Unit | Southern Historical Collection |
Language | English. |
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.
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.
Back to TopPapers 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.
Back to TopThese materials are divided into three groups: documentspertaining to the School of Law at the North Carolina College at Durham (formerly the North Carolina College for Negroes and currently North Carolina Central University); copies of the civil actions against the University of North Carolina requesting the right for African Americans to be admitted to the UNC-CH School of Law; and materials relating to the academic career of J. Kenneth Lee at UNC-CH.
Pages 22-23 of the North Carolina College at Durham Law Schoolyearbook for 1950, contain photographs and an account of the school's battle for accreditation, which is cited in the civil action court case.
Primarily official photocopies of Civil Action No. 144, which was filed several times as the litigants changed and others were added to the case. The initial litigants were Harold Thomas Epps and Robert David Glass vs. William Donald Carmichael, Jr., President of the University of North Carolina, et al.
Folder 16 |
Lee's UNC-CH career |
Folder 17 |
Admission letter and diploma (copies) |
Image P-4782/1 |
Photograph of Beech and Lee, first day of classes at UNC, 11 June 1951. |
Image P-4782/2 |
Beech and Lee in Chancellor House's office. |
Image P-4782/3 |
Beech and Lee complete registration, 11 June 1951. |
Image P-4782/4 |
Lee, Beech, and other litigants. |
Image P-4782/5 |
Lee being admitted to the North Carolina Bar. |
Image P-4782/6 |
Lee as a young child. |
Image P-4782/7 |
Lee in group photo. |
Image P-4782/8 |
Lee with Horace Kornegay and others on the steps of the Supreme Court, May 1967. |
Image P-4782/9 |
Lee making presentation to Theodore R. Bryant, North Carolina Central University Law School alumnus. |
Image P-4782/10 |
North Carolina Minority Business Development Agency Board of Directors, 1973-74. |
Image P-4782/11 |
American Federal Savings & Loan. |
Image P-4782/12 |
Model for Beech park in Kinston, N.C. (Old Well at UNC-CH). |
Image P-4782/13 |
Transparencies from presentation on Lee's admission to the UNC Law School. |