Julius Chambers: A Life of Service, Courage & Conviction by Steve Crump

551 S Tryon St,Charlotte NC 28202

24 February, 2022

Description

See the premiere of Julius Chambers: A Life of Service, Courage & Conviction and discover the impact of this legendary civil rights leader. About Julius ChambersIn June 1964, Julius L. Chambers opened the first integrated law practice in North Carolina in a cold-water walk-up on East Trade Street in Charlotte. After leaving the University of North Carolina School of Law – where he graduated first in his class and became the first African-American to be Editor-in-Chief of the school’s Law Review – Chambers sought to open a general practice law firm that would provide legal services to the African-American community in a society that was mired in racial inequities and long-held prejudices. Along with founding partners, James E. Ferguson, II, and Adam Stein, and often working with attorneys from the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., Chambers successfully litigated countless civil rights and criminal cases throughout the state. In the 1970s, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, Griggs v. Duke Power Co. and Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody became pivotal cases that helped end overt forms of racism and strengthened laws against school segregation and employment discrimination throughout the nation. His car dynamited and his home and the law office bombed – and burned to the ground – served as the backdrop to these accomplishments. His was indeed a life of service, courage and conviction. To receive discounted parking, please park in the Duke Energy garage (101 W. Stonewall Street entrance). Julius Chambers at his burned office - Credit: Observer Trail of History Photo About the FilmmakerSteve Crump is an award-winning African American journalist, documentary film producer, and current television reporter for WBTV. A native of Louisville, KY, Crump first went to work at WBTV in 1984. He left the station after three years, but returned in 1989. Crump has been described as the station’s institutional memory, having reported on many of the major events that shaped modern Charlotte, but may be more widely known for his Emmy Award® winning documentaries with subjects ranging from Apartheid in South Africa to civil rights in the American South. He has earned a number of other awards including four National Headliner Awards, the Gabriel Award, and more than a dozen first-place honors from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). In 2016, Crump was named the NABJ Journalist of the Year. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture is a multi-disciplinary arts institution in the heart of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1974 and named for Charlotte civic leader and former mayor Harvey Bernard Gantt, the Gantt Center’s mission is to present, preserve and celebrate excellence in the art, history and culture of African-Americans and those of African descent. Designed by Philip Freelon, co-designer of the new Smithsonian National Museum for African American Art and Culture, the Gantt Center features fine art exhibits from around the world. Visit ganttcenter.org for more information. Harvey B. Gantt Center (Gantt Center) reserves the right to cancel an event due to low enrollment, inclement weather or other circumstances which would interrupt or diminish the overall program experience. If the Gantt Center cancels an event, registrants will be offered a full refund.