In 1961 I was active in door-to-door canvassing to get people to meetings about voter registration in Indianola, Mississippi, my home town. In 1962 as SGA president of Gentry High School, we successfully protested the lack of science equipment and materials at Gentry as compared to Indianola High School and the science labs were upgraded.
From 1962-1966 I was a student at Rust College in Holly Springs, MS. While there I was active in NAACP College Chapter, worked in voter registration and the 1964 Freedom Summer Freedom Library project. Was active in the Freedom Ballot and became a member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. I was elected as a delegate from the MFDP to the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City, NJ and served as Chairperson of the 2nd Congressional District Caucus. During this same period I served as Student Government Association President at Rust College 1964-65 and 1965-66.
In the fall of 1966 I enrolled at the University of Iowa and did community organizing with the Southeast Bottoms project in Des Moines.
Since that time I married Earnestine Evans, we had three children and celebrated our 41st anniversary in 2008 I completed a MS in Chemistry at the University of Iowa and a Doctor of Arts in the Teaching of Chemistry at the University of Mississippi (Olemiss) . I am a tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Olemiss.
My participation in the Civil Rights struggle made me understand the necessity of being active in community, religious, and political affairs. I served for a total of 16 years as a member of the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church(UMC) where I chaired the work area on Environmental Justice and Survival. I was also selected by the UMC to chair The Bioethics Task Force which wrote the denominations position on stem cell research. In Mississippi I chaired the Council on Ministries of the Mississippi Conference of the UMC from 1988-1992 and served at Annual Conference Lay Leader from 1992-2004 and was delegate to General Conference 4 times. I did mission work at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe and led the UMCs delegation to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, SA , August 26 - September 4, 2002
In addition to teaching and gardening I am secretary of the Marshall County (MS) Industrial Development Authority.
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