Few sons of Asheville have made as much of an impact on the fight for civil rights as James E. Ferguson II, who passed away on July 21 in Charlotte at the age of 82.
On Oct. 4, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County will host a memorial service for the trailblazing attorney at James AME Church, his family’s home congregation.
Ferguson first emerged as a leader at Stephens-Lee High School, where he founded and led the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality (ASCORE). His wife, Barbara Tuman Ferguson, was also a member of the organization, which played a pivotal role in desegregating many of Asheville’s institutions, including Pack Library, movie theaters, and restaurants…