by Nia Asante
In August N.C. resident LaVone Hicks and her sister, Patricia Youmans of Virginia, along with Representative Rodney Pierce of the N.C. House District 27, assembled to celebrate a milestone.
The ladies’ father, Attorney James R. Walker Jr., was honored in his birthplace with a roadside historical marker recognizing his civil rights contributions. Walker argued landmark cases concerning literacy that reached the US Supreme Court, which helped lay the groundwork for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
In 1952, he became one of the first five Black graduates of UNC Chapel Hill, where he led efforts to desegregate Kenan Stadium, the law school’s social dances, and the Dialectic & Philanthropic Societies (DiPhi) debate team. His advocacy advanced equal access and challenged discriminatory practices throughout the university.
The historical marker is at Academy Street and Memorial Drive, in front of East Carolina University Hospital. The dedication ceremony was held at New Ahoskie Baptist Church officiated by Pastor Dorian Daniels.
The event is a counterpoint to recent Supreme Court decisions that left the Voting Rights Act in tatters, and authorized widespread GOP gerrymandering throughout the South to eliminate Black-majority districts. The Republican efforts appear to have been counter-productive, as their Democratic opponents are now favored in North Carolina and Georgia, and threatening to “flip” state-wide and local elections in Florida and Mississippi.
