Lisbon C. Berry, Jr.
Description:
Lisbon C. Berry, Jr., was born in Washington, D.C. in 1922 and later moved with his family to Wilmington. He graduated college in 1950 from what is now N.C. Central University. He attended Howard School of Law and returned to Durham to practice. He shares memories of practicing civil rights law with Floyd McKissick beginning in 1957. He highlights some of the cases he tried during this time including State v. Clarence Jones (a murder case), police brutality cases, and cases about racial sit-ins. He describes returning to Wilmington to practice law as one of the few African-American attorneys in the city. He also describes his work within the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1967 to 1982 and later, his service as executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape.
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