The Man Who Said ‘No Way’ to Injustice: Sister of Civil Rights Legend, Lawyer in Landmark Integration Cases, Publishes Brother’s Memoirs
Frankfort, KY, November 01, 2008 --(PR.com)-- North Carolina civil rights legend J. Kenneth Lee spent decades opening doors that others walked through—integrating schools, facilities and businesses, often at great personal risk. Now, the remarkable story of how he tore down the walls of segregation is finally being told—in his own words and those of his family and colleagues—in No Way! Memoirs of J. Kenneth Lee, Esq.
Just published by Outskirts Press (www.outskirtspress.com), this multi-voiced history from sister Winona Lee Fletcher gives an inside look at the events that shaped Kenneth Lee’s passion, determination and grit. An African-American coming of age in 1940s segregated North Carolina, much was off limits for Lee, the 13th son of a minister and his wife. After graduating from a N.C. technical school in 1946, Lee found himself unable to get a job due to blatant racism. The experience crystallized his desire to see social change, and he signed on as a plaintiff in the landmark ACLU lawsuit demanding integration of the University of North Carolina law school. Finally, in 1951, he made headlines when, escorted by a phalanx of police officers, he became one of the first two black students to attend the institution.
Lee’s legal career was no less groundbreaking. As assistant legal counsel to the state’s NAACP, Lee fought for integration of countless facilities. The list includes some major wins: In 1957, he filed suit on behalf of five black children against Greensboro City Schools for admission into the all-white Gillespie Park Elementary School; his victory opened Greensboro City Schools to African Americans. And his 1960 representation of the Woolworth lunch counter sit-in defendants spurred nationwide protest—and changed the course of history.
But Lee didn’t stop there, expanding opportunities through his sharp business acumen as well. When local banks refused to lend to African Americans, Lee, now 84, chartered The American Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greensboro, and served as its president for 30 years. He also purchased a Greensboro black hospital that was slated for closure and turned it into a 100-bed skilled nursing facility in honor of his mother.
Packed with historical photographs, newspaper clippings and other ephemera, No Way! is at once a riveting personal account and an important chronicle of one of America’s most turbulent periods. The book takes readers inside the dangerous time when standing up for your rights could mean a brick through the window—or much worse—and introduces the key personalities who played outsized roles in it, including a young Jesse Jackson and Thurgood Marshall. Through it all, Lee’s own recollection is reinforced by the copious facts and memories of family, friends, coworkers and admirers who observed or participated in his fierce determination to establish justice in education, business, health, entertainment—wherever unfair treatment was found. No Way! is required reading for those too young to remember pre-1970s America, and an important reminder for those who lived through it.
No Way! Memoirs of J. Kenneth Lee, Esq. is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Information
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2530-3
Format: 5.5x11 color paperback Pages: 164
SRP: US$38.95/CAN$48.95 Genre: Biography/ Personal Memoirs
About the Author: Winona Lee Fletcher joined her brother, Kenneth, in his first business venture: a school for GI’s returning from World War II. She holds advanced degrees in theater from the University of Iowa and Indiana University, and worked as a professor and administrator for universities in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky. No Way! is the culmination of years of research, interviewing and writing on the groundbreaking contributions of her older brother. She lives in Frankfort, KY.
Author Contact: Visit her on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/noway
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
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Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Just published by Outskirts Press (www.outskirtspress.com), this multi-voiced history from sister Winona Lee Fletcher gives an inside look at the events that shaped Kenneth Lee’s passion, determination and grit. An African-American coming of age in 1940s segregated North Carolina, much was off limits for Lee, the 13th son of a minister and his wife. After graduating from a N.C. technical school in 1946, Lee found himself unable to get a job due to blatant racism. The experience crystallized his desire to see social change, and he signed on as a plaintiff in the landmark ACLU lawsuit demanding integration of the University of North Carolina law school. Finally, in 1951, he made headlines when, escorted by a phalanx of police officers, he became one of the first two black students to attend the institution.
Lee’s legal career was no less groundbreaking. As assistant legal counsel to the state’s NAACP, Lee fought for integration of countless facilities. The list includes some major wins: In 1957, he filed suit on behalf of five black children against Greensboro City Schools for admission into the all-white Gillespie Park Elementary School; his victory opened Greensboro City Schools to African Americans. And his 1960 representation of the Woolworth lunch counter sit-in defendants spurred nationwide protest—and changed the course of history.
But Lee didn’t stop there, expanding opportunities through his sharp business acumen as well. When local banks refused to lend to African Americans, Lee, now 84, chartered The American Federal Savings and Loan Association of Greensboro, and served as its president for 30 years. He also purchased a Greensboro black hospital that was slated for closure and turned it into a 100-bed skilled nursing facility in honor of his mother.
Packed with historical photographs, newspaper clippings and other ephemera, No Way! is at once a riveting personal account and an important chronicle of one of America’s most turbulent periods. The book takes readers inside the dangerous time when standing up for your rights could mean a brick through the window—or much worse—and introduces the key personalities who played outsized roles in it, including a young Jesse Jackson and Thurgood Marshall. Through it all, Lee’s own recollection is reinforced by the copious facts and memories of family, friends, coworkers and admirers who observed or participated in his fierce determination to establish justice in education, business, health, entertainment—wherever unfair treatment was found. No Way! is required reading for those too young to remember pre-1970s America, and an important reminder for those who lived through it.
No Way! Memoirs of J. Kenneth Lee, Esq. is now available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and the online bookstore of Outskirts Press, at outskirtspress.com/store.php.
Book Information
ISBN: 978-1-4327-2530-3
Format: 5.5x11 color paperback Pages: 164
SRP: US$38.95/CAN$48.95 Genre: Biography/ Personal Memoirs
About the Author: Winona Lee Fletcher joined her brother, Kenneth, in his first business venture: a school for GI’s returning from World War II. She holds advanced degrees in theater from the University of Iowa and Indiana University, and worked as a professor and administrator for universities in Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky. No Way! is the culmination of years of research, interviewing and writing on the groundbreaking contributions of her older brother. She lives in Frankfort, KY.
Author Contact: Visit her on the Web at www.outskirtspress.com/noway
About Outskirts Press, Inc.: Outskirts Press, Inc. offers full-service, custom self-publishing services for authors seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining all their rights and full creative control. Available for authors globally at www.outskirtspress.com and located on the outskirts of Denver, Colorado, Outskirts Press represents the future of book publishing, today.
###
Outskirts Press, Inc., 10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker, Colorado 80134
http://outskirtspress.com — 1-888-OP-BOOKS
Contact
Outskirts Press
Kelly Schuknecht
888.672.6657
www.outskirtspress.com
Kelly Schuknecht
888.672.6657
www.outskirtspress.com
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