Leslie B. McLemore
Leslie-Burl McLemore | |
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Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi (Interim) | |
In office May 7, 2009 – July 6, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Frank Melton |
Succeeded by | Harvey Johnson Jr. |
Personal details | |
Born | Walls, Mississippi, U.S. | August 17, 1940
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Betty Mallett |
Profession | Activist, Professor, Councilman |
Leslie-Burl McLemore (born August 17, 1940) is an American civil rights activist and political leader from
Early life
Leslie-Burl McLemore was born in Walls, Mississippi on August 17, 1940, the son of a sharecropper.[2][3] He was raised by his mother and his maternal grandfather, Leslie Williams,[4] who sparked his interest in politics and service.[5] He attended Delta Center High School,[6] where he first became involved in political action by participating in a boycott during his senior year because the school did not have any black history books in the library.[7]
In September 1960, McLemore began studies at Rust College for social science and economics on full scholarship.[5] It was there that he first became seriously involved in the Civil Rights Movement. As freshman class president, McLemore participated in a boycott of a theatre in Holly Springs because they would not allow black people to sit on the main level of the theater.[7]
While at Rust College, McLemore would continue to be involved in student protests. He became involved with the
In 1964, during the famous Freedom Summer, McLemore was involved in the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), of which he was vice chair.[5] He was a founding member of the MFDP Executive Committee and an MFDP delegate to the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Through his efforts, McLemore was able to meet and work with other activists such as Ella Baker, Frank Smith, Elenore Homes Norton, and Charles Sherrod as coordinator and lobbyist of the National Office of the MFDP in Washington DC.[8] Later, he would focus his political science research on the MFDP, the first to formally research the impact of a local political movement.[5]
Academic career
McLemore graduated from
In 1997, McLemore become the founding Director of the Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy at Jackson State University. Over the course of more than twenty years, the Hamer Institute conducted numerous summer institutes for K-12 students, K-12 teachers, and community members and University faculty.
Political involvement
McLemore was elected to serve on the Jackson City Council in 1999, representing the second ward for 10 years, of which 5 were spent as council president.[5] Upon the death of Mayor Frank Melton, McLemore also served as acting mayor. McLemore did not seek re-election to his council seat. His term ended in July 2009, at which time he retired to dedicate his efforts full-time to the Hamer Institute.[1]
While teaching at Jackson State University, McLemore returned to Walls where he served as a member of the Walls Board of Aldermen. Upon election in 2017, he made history again by serving as one of the two first black elected officials in Walls, Mississippi, the other being Curtis Farmer.[9] In 2023, McLemore's efforts were honored when the Mississippi Historical Society awarded him its 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments with the MFDP.[10]
Family
McLemore is married to his wife, Attorney Betty Mallett. He has one son, Leslie McLemore II, who is a practicing attorney and writer in Washington DC and is married to Jacinta W. McLemore. He has two grandchildren: Harper and Harlow.[11]
References
- ^ a b Deardorff, Michelle (April 14, 2018). "McLemore, Leslie Burl". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ a b "Interview with Dr. Leslie B. McLemore, John C. Stennis Oral History Project" (PDF). Starkville, Mississippi: Mississippi State University. 1991-04-19. Retrieved 2009-06-04.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Leslie B. McLemore - Democrat - Council President". Jackson, Mississippi: Official City of Jackson, Mississippi Website. Archived from the original on 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
- ^ r2WPadmin. "McLemore, Leslie Burl". Mississippi Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ ISSN 2688-0105.
- ISSN 0008-5472.
- ^ a b Skinner, Kayleigh (2014-05-01). "Q&A with Leslie B. McLemore, veteran Mississippi civil rights activist: Fifty years after Freedom Summer, 'the struggle continues every day'". The Hechinger Report. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ a b McLemore II, Leslie. "Happy 80th birthday to Dr. Leslie McLemore, civil rights hero and my dad". Mississippi Free Press. Mississippi Free Press. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Clark, Tish. "DeSoto County Democrats Make History In Walls & Horn Lake". Memphis News & Weather. WATN-TV, Channel 24. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ Cardon, Dustin (2023-03-03). "Dr. Leslie-Burl McLemore Receives Lifetime Achievement Award". Mississippi Free Press. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
- ^ 2019. “Biographical Sketch Leslie-Burl McLemore.” March 7. University of Mississippi. https://diversity.olemiss.edu/files/2020/01/MCLEMORE-BIO.pdf