Dr. Leslie Burl McLemore of Jackson was honored with a Doctor of Public Service during Millsaps College’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10.
McLemore was recognized as a leader and public servant and for his extraordinary ability to create community and opportunity. He is the president of the Jackson City Council, professor of political science at Jackson State University, and director of the Fannie Lou Hamer National Institute on Citizenship and Democracy.
“As a dynamic force for change, as an educator, and as a civic leader, we salute him. For his guidance, his commitment and his compassion, we salute him. Dr. Leslie Burl McLemore serves as an inspiration and a role model for the next generation,” said Millsaps College President Dr. Frances Lucas during the outdoor ceremony.
During the Civil Rights movement, McLemore organized several demonstrations and voter registration drives and was the founding president of the college chapter of the NAACP while attending Rust College in Holly Springs. In 1962 he became associated with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and in 1964 he was elected vice chair of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
A constant supporter for youth in the community, McLemore is the immediate past president of the Jackson Chapter of 100 Black Men of America where his focus has been on advising and supporting African American males in the Jackson Public School District. The mission of the Hamer Institute, which McLemore and colleagues formed in 1997, is to engage primary and secondary schools in the exploration of the Civil Rights Movement with students and teachers.
A native of Walls, McLemore earned a B.A. in social science and economics from Rust, an M.A. in political science from Atlanta University and a Ph.D. in government from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
