A great, great man has left us

Last week, amid all of the Trump - Epstein foolishness that dominated the headlines, came the sad, sad news that a truly great man had left us.

Civil rights attorney James E. Ferguson II died at age 82.

    I had the distinct honor of working with Atty. Ferguson as part of the team of attorneys and Black Press that secured the historic pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten in 2013. He was their original lead defense attorney in 1972, and appeared in my 2014 film about the case.

    Upon word of his death, one of Atty Ferguson's most accomplished students, NC Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, wrote the following about her "forever friend, mentor and former law partner," “He taught me how to be a lawyer, and more than anything else, how to stand strong for racial justice and the essential humanity of every person.”

Governor Josh Stein, son of one of Ferguson's former law partners, Adam Stein, called him his "hero," adding, "He was a steadfast champion of civil rights and spent his life fighting for the betterment of others. He was also incredibly charismatic, charming and kind.”

And Atty. Irving Joyner, a longtime friend and colleague, wrote an obituary about the man many in North Carolina and across America  knew to be a true champion in the continuing struggle for constitutional justice and equal rights -

James “Fergie” Ferguson was a legal warrior for Civil and Human Rights who I worked with for over 50 years. He was bold, courageous, articulate, creative and engaging attorney who used his immense legal skills to fight for Justice. Along the way, he trained and inspired other attorneys to better utilize their legal skills and talents to join this ongoing fight for Freedom, Justice and Equality.

 Fergie was born and reared in “Jim Crow” North Carolina where racial animus was the order of the day and was rigidly observed and enforced by law enforcement. Long before becoming an attorney, Fergie became a Civil Rights warrior while he was a High School student in his hometown of Asheville. During his teen years, he led and organized successful protests to oppose segregation and racial discrimination that he and other African Americans faced in that City. He co-founded the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality (ASCORE) and led a student delegation to Shaw University in April1960 to participate in the founding of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). This early racial awareness and experiences with the many injustices that resulted from it cemented his commitment to becoming a Civil Rights Warrior.

Fergie attended North Carolina Central University where he joined with other socially aware students to challenge racial discrimination in Durham. There he interacted with Attorney Floyd McKissick, former Congressional Representatives Frank Balance, Eva Clayton, G.K. Butterfield;  Benjamin Ruffin, “Buddy” Malone, William Marsh and a long list of other activists who were engaged in the ongoing fight against racial injustices. Graduating with honors, Fergie became one of the few African American students who were chosen to enroll at Columbia University School of Law. While there, he challenged that School’s treatment of African American students and the surrounding Harlem community. Fergie’s youthful experiences living under “Jim Crow” rules and restrictions motivated his early Civil Rights activities and informed his decision to pursue a law degree in order to continue and advance his efforts to achieve relief from these unjust, inhumane and unconstitutional restrictions.

After graduating from Columbia Law School in 1967, he was invited by Civil Right icon Julius Chambers and a white attorney, Adam Stein, to form the first racially integrated law firm in the country. This Law Firm immediately formed a litigation relationship with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (now LDF)  and became the premier Civil Rights Law Firm in North Carolina. In that role, Fergie and Chambers immediately assisted in the formation of the Southeastern Lawyers Association which consisted of the few African American lawyers who were admitted into the legal profession in South Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia and Virginia to organize, train, motivate and inspire coordinated legal attacks on segregation throughout the South. Later, this organization split and resulted in the organization of the North Carolina Association of Black Lawyers (NCABL) where Fergie became one of its first Presidents. These organizations were critical in early successful efforts to fight for Civil and Human Rights in the South.

The many legal engagements in Civil Rights litigation painted a “bull’s eye” on Fergie’s back as he and Chambers regularly entered Klan dominated communities to defend African Americans in Criminal cases and to attack segregationist laws, traditions and activities. These actions resulted in the bombing of the homes of these leaders and the Charlotte Law Offices of the Chambers Law Firm. Not to be deterred, Fergie, personally, and his Law Firm intensified their efforts and dedication to lead the fight for Freedom, Justice and Equality in this country.

The list of Fergie’s accomplishments is too long to repeat here but among them are:

• The 1970 prosecution of an Oxford, Granville County, Klan member who murdered Henry Marrow in a case which became the subject of a best-selling book and movie by Professor Timothy Tyson , Blood Done Signed My Name.
• Litigation in the 1971 landmark Swann V. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education case which established the use of busing as a tool to desegregate public schools.
• Forty year long legal challenge to the unjust prosecution of the Wilmington Ten in 1972, obtaining a reversal of their convictions and the successful effort to obtain Pardons of Innocence from Governor Beverly Purdue and compensation for their unjust convictions.
• The 1972 efforts to defend and protect the Charlotte Three.
• Successful campaign to obtain a reversal of the wrongful conviction of Darryl Hunt and to obtain compensation of his unjust conviction which had occurred in 1984 .
• Successful legal efforts to establish racial bias in Capital Prosecutions in North Carolina and the overturning of the imposition of death sentences in four separate cases under the former North Carolina Racial Justice Act.
• Organizing and participating in legal education and training programs in South Africa to inspire and improve litigation skills of African lawyers during its Apartheid era.
• Organizing and participating in litigation training programs for lawyers as an activity of the National Institute of Trial Attorneys (NITA).

During the almost six decades that he was in the legal profession, Fergie was recognized as one of the top litigators in the United States and, in North Carolina, he has been the lawyer that lawyers call upon for consultations. He served as a leader in several legal organizations and has been honored many times; recently, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest North Carolina civilian award, which was presented by North Carolina’s 

Governor Josh Stein, the son of his first law partner.  In addition, he has been called upon as a Professor at several Law Schools and at the North Carolina Central University School of Law.

On a personal level, Fergie has been a life-long friend, a mentor, co-counsel and collaborator in a wide range of cases in which I have been involved. His guidance and inspiration have been paramount factors in my Civil Rights activities, legal practice and his presence and influence will be sorely missed.

  A memorial service will be held 12:00 noon, Thursday, August 07, 2025, The Park Church, 6029  Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216. A.E. Grier & Sons Funeral & Cremation  Service LLC, 2310 Statesville Ave., Charlotte, NC 28206 is providing service to the family in Charlotte.