The True Story of a Young Man

When Reginald Lindsay received a scholarship to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, what he wanted most was a good job with a good salary. But soon he became interested in the civil rights movement. At present he has a plan which he hopes will take him to Congress as a southern representative.

Now in his first year at Harvard Law School, Reg is making careful plans. After earning his degree, he expects to return 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 says. Then he hopes to run for political office at the local and state level until he is 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 has 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 introduces bright young students to the workings of the Georgia State government and encourages them to seek employment there after finishing their education. "I've been lucky," he says. "I seem to have been in the right place at the right time."

But luck is only part of Reg's story, for he has 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 remembers. "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. He worked as a student advisor to earn extra money for his college expenses, and he was granted a scholarship for a year of study at the University of Valencia in Spain.

With just two more years to complete at Harvard Law School, which also gave him a scholarship, Reg has made a good start on his professional career. He says, "The good life for me is the kind of life where I can find satisfaction in public service."