Civil Rights Attorney Christopher Mercer Dies
by November 21, 2012 9:01 am 141 views
Civil rights attorney Christopher Mercer died at the age of 88 at his home in Little Rock Tuesday morning.
Karoline Wightman, with our content partner Fox 16 News, highlights his notable contributions to Arkansas and American history:
An NAACP field secretary during the 1950's and 1960's, Mercer was an advisor to civil rights activist Daisy Bates, playing a vital supporting role to the Little Rock Nine, the group of African-American students who integrated Central High School in 1957.
Mercer was one of six students who integrated the University of Arkansas School of Law, passing the bar exam the same year of the Supreme Court's decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education.
Mercer drove five of the Little Rock Nine to school that fateful year in 1957 and 1958.
Read and watch more of Wightman's coverage of Mercer's life at this link.