Oral history interview with Robert Belton, 2000

Biographical Note

Robert Belton was born in 1935 in High Point, North Carolina and grew up with 17 brothers and sisters. Belton earned his B.A. degree at the University of Connecticut in 1961 and his J.D. degree at Boston University in 1965. He became an active member of the New York City chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and worked as an assistant counsel for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Educational Fund. With the NAACP, Belton headed a national civil rights litigation campaign to enforce Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In 1970, he returned to North Carolina and practiced law in Charlotte as a partner at Chambers, Stein, Ferguson & Lanning, P.A., one of the first racially integrated firms in the South. The firm’s building was fire-bombed at the height of its involvement in a series of landmark civil rights cases, including Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. In 1975, Belton joined Vanderbilt University Law School's faculty and became the first African American to be granted tenure at the law school. Throughout his career, Belton was involved in three Supreme Court civil rights cases: Griggs v. Duke Power Co.; Albemarle Paper Co. v. Moody; and Harris v. Forklift Systems. Belton died in 2012

Scope and Contents

Belton discusses his childhood; his large family; his parents' attitudes towards education; his experience in school; the encouragement he received from his high school teachers; and the various jobs he has held. He describes his time at the University of Connecticut and the trauma of being one of the only Black students on the campus. Belton characterizes his experience with religion; his decision to attend law school; and how he was influenced by growing up in a Southern Black community. He describes his introduction to activism, the demonstrations he participated in, and the formation of an NAACP chapter at the University of Connecticut. Other topics of discussion include: Belton's involvement with New York CORE; his work with the politically active Legal Defense Fund; his experience in jail; the impact of the landmark Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka and Griggs v. Duke Power Co.; and affirmative action. Additionally, Belton discusses CORE reunions and reflects on the outcomes of the civil rights movement. Belton concludes by talking about his wife and two kids, his decision to join Vanderbilt University's faculty, and his experience with race relations there

Subjects

• African Americans--Education (Higher)
• Belton, Robert, 1935-2012--Interviews.
• Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
• Congress of Racial Equality. New York (Harlem) Chapter.
• Interviews.
• Lawyers--Southern States--History--20th century.
• Michaels, Sheila, 1939-2017, interviewer.
• NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
• Oral histories.
• Race discrimination--Law and legislation--United States.
• United States--Race relations--History--20th century.
• Vanderbilt University. Law School.