CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As part of Black History Month, we are remembering civil rights icon Julius Chambers.

 

What You Need To Know

  • Julius Chambers fought for equality in education, employment, and voting rights

  • He had several wins in the U.S. Supreme Court

  • He received many recognitions and awards, including the recent renaming of a U.S. post office in his name


The North Carolina lawyer, who was born in 1936 in Mount Gilead, is known for fighting for equality in education, employment, and voting rights.

His son, Derrick Chambers looked up to him.

“He was the most intelligent person I knew. He was my hero,” Derrick Chambers says.

Julius Chambers died in 2013, leaving a long-lasting impact. In the 1960s, he started the first integrated law firm in the state.

Ferguson, Chambers & Sumter, P.A. Founding Partner James Ferguson says at the time, the South was fully segregated.

He says Chambers led the effort to change it with several victories in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“He made a huge difference in the desegregation effort, not just with schools, but with employment, with voting rights,” Ferguson says.

His fight for equality was not easy. He survived firebombings of his office, car, and home. All while he argued landmark civil rights cases, including one that allowed court-ordered busing in public schools.

“That has to be, if not the, one of the most important cases that was dealing with desegregation of the schools,” Derrick Chambers says.

Julius Chambers, the former N.C. Central chancellor, received many recognitions and awards for his work.

A building at N.C. Central and a portion of Interstate 85 in Charlotte bear his name. In October, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education changed the school name from Zebulon B. Vance High School in Charlotte to Julius L. Chambers High School.

"Mr. Chambers' life and legacy represents the very best of who we are," Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education Chair Elyse Dashew said back then. "He worked to make our county, state, and country a more just and fairer place for all of us. His name on the high school will remind students, and the rest of us, that social justice is achievable, and we share responsibility for making it happen."

For Derrick Chambers, the renaming allows younger generations to know about his father’s legacy.

“This is an opportunity…for these kids that go to school here to learn about the person the school is dedicated; his name and the work that he did to to help Charlotte, the state of North Carolina, and the United States,” he says.

In December, it was also announced a Charlotte post office will bear Julius Chambers' name.

“Just knowing that he affected so many people and so many lives. We, as the Chambers family, we are so grateful. We are honored,” Derrick Chambers says.

Congresswoman Alma Adams pursued a bill in Washington to name it after him. A virtual dedication for the post office happened last week. The post office is formally known as Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Memorial Post Office.

A dedication for the school will happen later this spring.