society, we'd like to welcome you all here today to hear such a remarkable speaker, the honorable u.w. clemon the former chief judge of the united states district court for the northern district of alabama. long before his notable career on the federal bench, judge clemon distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, a lawyer and alabama state senator. educated in the public schools of jefferson county, he decided to become a civil rights leader at the age of 13. his commitment deepened while attending college where he boycotted birmingham's downtown stores in 1962, and fought to end segregation of the public library. he graduated from columbia law school in 1968 and worked as a young lawyer at adams, baker and clemon. in 1974 he became one of the first blacks elected to the alabama state senate since the reconstruction. in his two terms, he chaired the rules committee and the judiciary committee where he challenged capital punishment and vigorously opposedded governor george wallace on racial policies. in 1980, president jimmy carter appointed judge clemon as alabama's first black federa

civil rights leaders and retired federal judge u.w. clemonspoke to students about the history of title seven of the civil rights act. this is about an hour. >> on behalf of the society and the american constitutional society, we'd like to welcome you all today to a remarkable speaker, the honorable u.w. clemon. the former chief judge of the united states district court for the northern district of alabama. long before his notable career on the federal bench, justice u.w. clemon distinguished himself as a civil rights activist, lawyer and alabama state senator. as a student educated in the segregated public schools of jefferson county, he decided to become a civil rights leader at the age of 13. his commitment to equal rights deep and while he was in college where he boycotted birmingham, downtown stores in 1962 and fought the segregation of the birmingham public library. he graduated from columbia law school in 1968 and worked as a young lawyer as a prominent civil rights and alabama. in 1974 he became one of the first black elected on the se