NCCU LAW GRADUATE THE LATE ATTORNEY JULIAN T. PIERCE ’76 Strived for equality for all People

By Terri Godwin Hyman, Director of Marketing and Communications

Julia Beach Pierce was a senior in high school when her father Julian T. Pierce was believed to have been assassinated in 1988, at his home in Wakulla, North Carolina. Julian T. Pierce spent much of his life in racially troubled Robeson County advocating social change and fighting tirelessly for justice and equality for lowincome people. He was weeks away from becoming the first Native American Superior Court Judge in Robeson County when he was found fatally shot in his home. He won the election posthumously by more than 2,000 votes.

Born to Lumbee sharecroppers, Pierce rose from extreme poverty to become one of the most influential Native American attorneys of his time. At age 16, he graduated from high school, and went on to attend Pembroke State College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry. Pierce was one of 13 children, and the first in his family to attend college.

After college he worked as a chemist at the Norfolk Navy Shipyard in Virginia before attending NCCU School of Law where he graduated with his Juris Doctor degree in 1976. After graduation from NCCU School of Law he was offered a position with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. While working there, Pierce attended Georgetown University Law Center to earn his Master of Laws in Taxation. In 1978, Pierce moved back to North Carolina and became the first director of Lumbee River Legal Services, a new legal aid organization headquartered in Pembroke. The organization was designed to serve the poor in Robeson and surrounding counties. Pierce married and had three children: Julia, her twin brother Julian and their older brother Avery.

During an interview with Julia, she recalled as a young girl how playful her dad was. “He enjoyed playing with us when he would get off work,” Julia said. “Dad had a sand timer, and he’d give each of us individual attention through the duration of the sand timer. He’d wrestle with us, play with us, then we’d all pile on him at one time. He was careful in making sure he paid close attention to each of his children.”

Pierce had a large extended family with twelve brothers and sisters, whom he loved spending time with. The family held frequent gatherings in their homes, a tradition that continues to this day. Julia said, “Dad worked really, really hard every day, and he emphasized to us that the work he was doing helped people. Most prevalent in Julia’s mind is how people they didn’t know would come to their house seeking help and legal counsel from her dad. “Someone would tell them where Dad lived, they would come and knock at the door, and he would let them in and talk to them,” Julia said. “He’d help them right then if he could. If the issue was more extensive, he’d set up a time for them to meet him at his office. Some had been denied their social security or disability. He was always willing to help people. Whatever the problem was it was fundamental in their lives and he knew that without legal assistance they wouldn’t have their needs met. Dad understood what it meant to feel powerless and not have the education and ability to fight back when treated unfairly,” she added.

Seeking employment as a staff attorney with Lumbee Legal Services, former North Carolina Supreme Court Associate Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson recalls interviewing and working with Julian Pierce. “He passionately conveyed his belief that legal representation was a right denied far too many citizens of Robeson and Cumberland counties, because of the lack of financial ability. He was committed to meeting as many of those civil legal needs as possible.”

Julia and her brothers are committed to keeping their late father’s legacy alive.

Though the siblings all reside in different areas of the country, they stay in close contact. Julia serves as associate general counsel (Division Chief) for the Public Health Division

Office of the General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her twin brother Dr. Julian Pierce practices internal medicine in Florida, and their older brother Avery resides in Virginia.

In the years since his death, many have been inspired by his life to seek positions never held by minorities, to enter professional fields, including law, and to seek justice and equity for all people. Blacks and Native Americans are historically underrepresented in the field of law. The Julian T. Pierce Memorial Scholarship is one of many initiatives to help shift this paradigm. The scholarship initiative was established in 2003 through a collaborative effort between Robeson Community

College, the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, NCCU School of Law, and North Carolina Legal Aid. Numerous students have benefited financially from annual scholarship awards.

In 2013, a memorial art dinner was started by Harvey Godwin, a former Lumbee Tribal chairman and owner of Two Hawk Employment Service. Godwin served as campaign manager for Pierce during his run for Superior Court Judge. The memorial dinner has helped raise thousands each year in support of scholarships.

Julian T. Pierce inspired many through his exemplary leadership, his life commitment, and most importantly his truth and service.