The True Story of a Young Man
When Reginald Lindsay received a scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1967, what he wanted most was not a job with a good salary, but a chance to be a member of Congress as a southern representative. After earning his degree at Harvard Law School in 1970, he returned to the South to practice law among the poor. "I want to help them understand what their rights are and to help them achieve them," he said. Then he ran for political office at the local and state level until he was ready to try for Congress.
Reg grew up in a low-income Negro section of Birmingham, Alabama. Brought up by his grandparents after his parents were divorced while he was very young, Reg had been living through a period of far-reaching progress in race relations. In the summer of 1968 Reg himself became a good example of this progress when he became the first Negro student appointed to a special new program. The program introduced bright young students to the workings of the Georgia State government and encouraged them to seek employment there after finishing their education. "I've been lucky," he said. "I seem to have been in the right place at the right time."
But luck was only part of Reg's story, for he made the most of opportunities that came his way. He learned to read in kindergarten and began visiting the public library regularly to borrow books. His grandparents encouraged him, though neither of them had much education, and they bought him a set of encyclopedias. "I loved those books," he remembered. "I used to come downstairs before breakfast and read short articles. I enjoyed reading about famous men, and then I would pretend to be one of them. I guess it was partly a childish game and partly an escape. It wasn't too much fun to be a Negro when I was a kid." While studying for his bachelor's degree at Morehouse College, Reg worked on several political campaigns helping candidates get elected to government offices. At the same time he maintained a "B" average while majoring in political science.
With just two more years to complete at Harvard Law School, which also gave him a scholarship, Reg made a good start on his professional career. He said, "The good life for me is the kind of life where I can find satisfaction in public service." Then in 1975 he was the Massachusetts state commissioner of public utilities and from 1993 to 2009 he was judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
