James Walker Jr.

James Walker Jr’s photo in the UNC Law School Yearbook, 1952

“It just happened that as I got there there were about two dozen persons that had been denied in the last hour or so, all complaining about the same thing. Now [when] they heard that a lawyer was out there, they all came around wanting somebody to bring them some type of relief.”

- James Walker Jr.

The Life of

James Walker Jr

“James Walker, Jr. was born on February 25th, 1924 in Ahoskie, North Carolina to Ethel and James Walker. He was the oldest of eight children, and spent most of his childhood in Statesville, NC. Walker attended North Carolina Central University from 1942 to 1943. In 1944 he enlisted in the army, and proudly served on both fronts of World War II. He was honorably discharged from the army in 1947, after which he re-enrolled at North Carolina Central, graduating in 1948. After graduating, he applied to the University of North Carolina Law School, where he was rejected on the basis of race.

Walker chose to attend North Carolina College at Durham Law School, however, he eventually withdrew due to unequal treatment. After withdrawing from the North Carolina College at Durham he transferred to Boston Law School. While attending Boston Law School, Walker was one of five plaintiffs in a case brought against UNC Law School for racial discrimination. They won their case, and in 1952 Walker became one of the first five African-American men to attend UNC Law School (and the first five to attend any UNC-Chapel Hill school). While attending UNC, Walker was integral in the desegregation of campus, and the push for civil rights on campus. He led a student protest calling for the desegregation of UNC’s football stadium and fought to integrate other aspects of campus life at UNC. He also became the first African-American member of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies.

In 1952, Walker graduated from UNC, going on to become a prominent civil rights attorney in North Carolina. According to Walker’s family members, he rarely accepted money for his work. He chose instead to drive across the state, often using his car as an office. His many accomplishments include the spearheading of a massive voter registration campaign for African-American residents of Halifax County, and successfully arguing a voting rights case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as being an integral part of a second U.S. Supreme Court case dealing with school segregation. He was recognized by North Carolina’s NAACP, who gave him their Distinguished Service Award. He was also honored by the National Lawyer’s Guild as Lawyer of the Year in 1978. Once retiring from law, Walker became a pastor, working at several different churches in North Carolina and Virginia.”

Taken from the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies Foundation website, linked below

Acquiring The James Walker Jr. Portrait

Below is an excerpt from the Joint Senate website requesting funding for the James Walker Jr Portrait. Hopefully, this will serve as an interesting insight into the process of finally acquiring a portrait of this esteemed member of the Societies. If you are reading this before the portrait has been put up, I would humbly ask that you consider donating towards efforts to make the portrait. That way, we can properly honor one of our most distinguished alumni whilst highlighting the important fight for Civil Rights in North Carolina. Thank you!

"The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies maintain the largest privately-owned portrait collection in the Southeastern United States. It features depictions of our most prominent alumni, including Thomas Wolfe, Frank P. Graham, and Thomas Sully’s James K. Polk. Unfortunately, our collection has long fallen short in representing some of our University’s most admirable aspects: its diversity, and the long fight for equality countless students have been forced to wage.

We are now fundraising for a portrait of James Walker, Jr. An influential civil rights advocate in North Carolina, Walker was one of the first five Black students at UNC and the first Black member of either society, joining in 1952. He was instrumental in the battle for desegregation on campus, which included everything from organizing protests against segregated sports seating to directly lobbying then-Chancellor Robert House. Walker also promoted civil rights professionally after earning his law degree. He argued for voting rights before the US Supreme Court and served as counsel on another case concerning school segregation. His portrait would be the first addition to our collection in almost a half-century.

You can learn more about Walker here.

The portrait would hang in the Dialectic Chamber in New West Hall, where it would be on public display weekly. We are hoping to raise $30,000 to cover the cost of a high-quality depiction in the style of our collection. At present, we have collected approximately $8,300 toward this goal, which we hope to at least double before the year is out. As such, we humbly ask for your support. The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies are registered 501(c)(3) organizations and all donations to this project are tax-deductible. Your contributions are greatly appreciated and further the promise of “virtue, liberty, and knowledge” at our school.

By making a donation today, you will help us celebrate our University’s laudable past and inspire greatness for many decades to come. All donors, regardless of the size of their contributions, will be welcome to attend the portrait’s unveiling ceremony.

You can make an online donation to the Walker portrait here. You can also mail checks to P.O. Box 795, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Should you wish to set up a meeting to discuss donations or any other facets of this project, please contact the Joint Senate President at jspresident@diphi.org.

We thank you for the support in this endeavor".

Further Research and Sources on James Walker Jr.

“James R. Walker, Jr. & the Struggle for Voting Rights in North Carolina’s Black Belt,” by David Cecelski (2020).
“James R. Walker, Jr. Portrait Fund,” by DiPhi Foundation (2019).
The James Walker Jr. Recordings #05806, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“New Names on the Landscape,” UNC Libraries, by Nicholas Graham (2020).
“Picture This: James Walker, Remembered,” Alumni Review article (2020).

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