James E. Ferguson II

STATEMENT FROM THE FAMILY OF JAMES E. FERGUSON II

July 21, 2025

We announce the transitioning of our beloved James E. Ferguson II with deep gratitude that we shared in the unique and fulfilling life that he lived, and deep sadness that he is no longer with us.

ABOUT JAMES E. FERGUSON II

In 1942 James E. Ferguson II was born in Asheville, NC into a family of seven siblings. His parents earned a living selling coal and kindling wood, along with domestic work for wealthier white families. As he grew he encountered Black mentors who inspired him to study law.

Along the way, he graduated from Columbia Law School and co-founded North Carolina's first integrated law firm in Charlotte in the 1960s. He led the litigation team in the landmark Wilmington Ten case in the 1970s, established a groundbreaking legal training program in Apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s, and secured official declarations of innocence for the Wilmington Ten and Darryl Hunt in the 2000s and 2010s after decades of ongoing advocacy.

As a high school student in the Jim Crow south, Mr. Ferguson worked with fellow students to form the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality (ASCORE). The group was successful in desegregating department store lunch counters and other Asheville public facilities, including libraries and parks. It's believed that ASCORE was the only group of its kind at the time, and as its first President Mr. Ferguson attended the founding meeting of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1960.

A few years later he married ASCORE's third president and fellow Asheville native Barbara Turman, and during nearly 56 years of marriage until her passing in 2022, they built a life together around their shared passion for social justice, the culture of the African Diaspora, and their 3 children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Ferguson went on to become Student Body President at North Carolina College for Negroes, now known as North Carolina Central University, receiving his degree in 1964. He continued his academic career at Columbia University Law School graduating in 1967, and settled in Charlotte as a founding member of North Carolina's first integrated law firm. After just three short years in practice Mr. Ferguson led the defense in one of North Carolina's most well-known criminal trials, the Wilmington Ten. This world-renowned case involved America's first political prisoners of conscience, as declared by Amnesty International. Forty years later he secured Pardons of Innocence for each of the defendants.

Beginning in 1986 during the Apartheid era, and continuing through and for many years after the presidency of Nelson Mandela, Mr. Ferguson served as Co-Founder, Coordinator and Faculty Member of the Trial Advocacy Program for Black Lawyers of South Africa. The opportunity to share essential litigation skills with Black South African jurists seeking legal and social justice, was one of the most rewarding of Mr. Ferguson's career.

Mr. Ferguson can be seen in "The Trials of Darryl" on HBO, a documentary chronicling the life journey of Darryl Hunt, for whom Mr. Ferguson won a judicial declaration of innocence after Mr. Hunt spent nearly 20 years in prison, following a wrongful conviction of rape and murder. In addition Mr. Ferguson obtained commutations, from death sentences to life imprisonment, in each of the four cases decided under North Carolina's Racial Justice Act, the only law of its kind in the nation.

In 2018 Mr. Ferguson filed and resolved a contentious police misconduct action against the City of Asheville. Seeing the continuing tensions in Asheville between law enforcement and the African American community inspired Mr. Ferguson to make the city a point of focus along with his longtime hometown of Charlotte, as he pursued his vision for expanding the use of restorative justice. Following this he worked with experts as well as local leaders and residents, to apply principles of this philosophy in pursuit of broader healing in both communities.

Mr. Ferguson was recognized for decades in the The Best Lawyers in America publication. He was featured in The National Law Journal as one of the top ten litigators in the country. He was featured in the Charlotte Observer as "The Lawyer Lawyers Come to See", was recognized as a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine, and was a member of the coveted Inner Circle, a group of 100 of the best plaintiffs' lawyers in the country.

A memorial service will be 12:00 PM, Thursday, August 07, 2025, The Park Church, 6029 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216.

A.E. Grier & Sons Funeral & Cremation Service LLC, 2310 Statesville Ave., Charlotte, NC 28206 is providing service to the family in Charlotte.

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