Reuben Anderson Oral History
Reuben Anderson was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1941 and was inspired to become a civil rights attorney at an early age. He entered law school the year the Civil Rights Act passed and went on to become the first Black student to gain a law degree from the University of Mississippi. After graduation in 1967, Anderson joined LDF as Assistant Counsel, working in Mississippi. During his time at LDF, he advocated tirelessly on behalf of Black people’s rights to equal facilities and services as well as desegregated schools. Notably, he worked on Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education, in which the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the immediate desegregation of public schools, ending 15 years of delays after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Following his time at LDF, Anderson had an extensive career as a judge, including serving as Mississippi’s first Black County Court Judge and the state’s first Black Supreme Court Justice.
HIGHLIGHTED EXCERPT:
Reuben Anderson recounts the origins of the Hawkins v. Shaw case
CITE THIS ITEM:
Reuben Anderson interview for the Legal Defense Fund Oral History Project. Interviewed by Alissa Rae Funderburk on September 8, 2024 in Jackson, Mississippi. Conducted in collaboration with the Southern Oral History Program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
