Julian Thomas Pierce was a LumbeeIndian and civil rights leader. His most notable civil rights work focused on providing aid and opportunity for poor populations and indigenous groups.
In 1978, he returned to North Carolina to become the first director of the Lumbee River Legal Services, a povertylaw office in Pembroke. For ten years, Pierce worked at Lumbee River Legal Services to raise the standard of legal care for the poor citizens of Robeson County. He took part in merging the tri-school board system into a one-school board system in the county so that all children would receive equal educational funding. In 1987, Pierce, along with others petitioned the United States Department of the Interior for federal acknowledgment and entry to tribal rolls for the Lumbee. The petition was denied due to language in the Lumbee Act of 1956. The group then introduced a recognition bill, but it failed due to opposition from the Department of the Interior and from other recognized tribes.
Political candidacy
In 1988, the North Carolina General Assembly created a new Superior Court Judgeship in Robeson County. Joe Freeman Britt, the county's district attorney, was the first to announce his candidacy. While Pierce did not have the popularity of Britt, many people knew him from his numerous community service roles such as when he was Chairman of the Lumbee Medical Clinic, on the board of directors of the North Carolina Legal Resource Center, or Vice-Chairman of the Robeson Health Care Corporation. Seeing an opportunity to be the first Native American superior court judge in North Carolina, Pierce resigned from his position as director of Lumbee River Legal Services and began his campaign for the position.
Death
On March 26, 1988, just a few weeks before the election, Pierce's body was found in his home with shotgun wounds to his head, chest, and stomach. Though local law enforcement claimed they had located the murderer, who committed suicide prior to an arrest or trial taking place, the reasons for the murder continue to be debated. In the aftermath, Britt was automatically declared the winner of the primary election. However, some reporters and campaign workers counted the votes and determined that Pierce actually won the vote posthumously, 10,787 to 8,231.
Honors
Pierce-Hickerson Award - An award created in 2003 by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association and named in honor of Native American legal aid leaders Julian T. Pierce and Robert Hickerson. It is awarded to individuals for outstanding advocacy in pursuit of justice for Native Americans.
Julian T Pierce Award - An award established in 1994 by Legal Aid of North Carolina to recognize an outstanding attorney and advocate of equal justice in the state.
Julian T. Pierce Health Center - A health center located in Pembroke, North Carolina and named for Pierce on behalf of his work to improve health care for low-income populations.
