New Article by UNC Law Librarian Donna Nixon: The Integration of UNC-Chapel Hill – Law School First

UNC Law Library Electronic Resources Librarian Donna Nixon recently published her article, “The Integration of UNC-Chapel Hill – Law School First,” 97 N.C. L. Rev. 1741 (2019), with the North Carolina Law Review.  

Professor Nixon led the law library’s effort to create a digital collection of photographs, legal documents, oral history transcripts, and contemporary news articles related to the efforts of students and civil rights organizations to desegregate North Carolina’s institutions of higher education. The history compiled during this project inspired her to write an article expanding on the documents in the collection and telling the story of the incredible people who took part in this momentous effort.

After setting the historical and legal context of the journey to desegregate higher education in NC, “The Integration of UNC-Chapel Hill – Law School First” focuses on the stories of the five African American men who enrolled in classes at UNC School of Law in 1951: Harvey E. Beech, James L. Lassiter, J. Kenneth Lee, Floyd B. McKissick, and James R. Walker. The article details both the struggles of being the first people to integrate UNC, but also where their lives and careers took them after completing their legal education.

To read the fascinating and important story for yourself, visit the UNC School of Law Scholarship Repository and download Donna Nixon’s article. View the digital collection Law School First – The African Americans Who Integrated UNC-Chapel Hill online here.