AUSTIN (KXAN) — Virgil C. Lott’s family walked the halls of the University of Texas at Austin Law School, more than 70 years after he became the first Black student to graduate from there.
“Oh wow, this is wonderful,” Virgil’s youngest, and only living daughter, Adrienne Lott Reeder said.
Her emotions were raw as the stage was set ahead of a ceremony that’ll bestow an award named after Lott to the 2025 recipient, Judge Sam Lindsay from Dallas.
“It feels so…I just feel that in the environment we’re in today, a lot of people just really don’t get it, when it comes to minorities,” Lott Reeder said as she fought back tears.
Minority pioneers of UT Austin Law
Lott graduated from UT Law in 1953 on the heels of Heman Sweatt, who sued the university when he was initially denied admission because of his race.
This was a pathway for Lott to be the first to graduate. Sweatt never graduated, due to health issues, according to UT Law.
“They wouldn’t let them in the classrooms, they had to study in the halls…and then the basement,” Reeder said.
After Lott’s historic graduation, he went on to become the first Black judge to sit on a bench of a court in Austin, according to UT Law’s website.
“Born in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Anderson High School and earned his undergraduate degree in business administration from Samuel Huston College (now Huston-Tillotson University) in 1949,” UT Law’s website says. “Mr. Lott served with valor in the United States Army during World War II in England, France, and Belgium.”
Lott became known for civic leadership focused on making affordable housing more accessible.
UT Law said Lott founded the Capital City Lions Club and also was the attorney for David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and an advisor to St. Joseph Grand Masonic Lodge.
“The law students have to understand that the way to pave the road is through legislation,” Reeder said.
Barriers broken and DEI eliminated decades later
Seven decades ago, Lott broke barriers, living through the crux of the civil rights movement and diversifying the legal realm.
Today, lawyers and students alike, must adjust to the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in state-funded institutions.
“There are people in society who felt like those policies went too far,” Rudy Metayer an Austin area attorney and Pflugerville City Council Place 4 representative said. “In all sincerity, I disagree…[but] we have no choice but to move forward and to go ahead and create a pathway for people behind this.”
Reeder and her family said they’re hopeful.
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Virgil C. Lott appointed the first Black judge of Austin. (Photo provided by: Lott family). -
Virgil C. Lott and his wife. (Photo provided by: Lott family). -
Virgil C. Lott (L), his wife Gloria (C) and a relative. (Photo provided by: Lott family). -
Virgil C. Lott and family in mid 1940’s, shortly before he passed away. (Photo provided by: Lott family). -
Virgil C. Lott and congregation in front of Wesley United Church. (Photo provided by: Lott Family). -
Virgil C. Lott among group boarding plane for inauguration. (Photo provided by: Lott family).
“They’re living in the same era that he [my father] lived in,” Reeder said.
The Virgil C. Lott Medal of Honor
Lindsay will be the 9th recipient of the Virgil C. Lott Medal of Honor.
“Lindsay was chosen from a field of exceptional nominees by a committee that included Dean Bobby Chesney, as well as past medal winners,” UT Law’s website says.
According to UT Law’s website, Lindsay is described as a “pathbreaking jurist, an accomplished advocate and a true community leader in Dallas.”
“The Law School commissioned the Virgil C. Lott Medal to honor the memory of this pioneer and distinguished alumnus, honoring men and women who, like Mr. Lott, have made significant contributions to the legal profession and to the improvement of understanding among all peoples,” UT Law’s website says.
