Mississippi’s first Black female judge remembers her time working with President Jimmy Carter

“I met him in Jackson,” she said. “The thing that made me look at him differently is he was always smiling.”

Slaughter-Harvey, who's from Forest, is a monumental figure in Mississippi history. She was the first Black female graduate of the University of Mississippi Law School and went on to become the state’s first Black female judge. 

“As part of [Carter’s] campaign, I was primarily responsible for getting out the vote,” she said. “That was a strength that I had and probably still have it. All over the state of Mississippi, I got individuals I worked with, individuals who were known to be community activists and who could deliver the vote if you had a good candidate.”

President Carter seemed to be just that for Slaughter-Harvey.

“He despised injustice,” she said. “He sort of reflected that in how he related to people. I then worked with him as part of his transition team, and I felt more comfortable in his presence than I’ve ever felt in the presence of a white man.” 

President Carter chose Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who was Black, to deliver the keynote address at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, a decision that moved Slaughter-Harvey.

“My admiration and my respect for him just increased,” she said. “I was impressed with his support of black women. He pretty much gave me hope that there was a reason to be hopeful. That America, especially the legal system, would do the right thing.”

After Carter became President, he appointed Slaughter-Harvey to be a part of his Presidential Scholars Commission. She was tasked with identifying high performing high school seniors around the country. 

“I enjoyed going to the White House where we had some of our meetings,” she said. “I enjoyed being positive about this country while he was president.”

Slaughter-Harvey believes that President Carter’s Democratic leadership helped to rebuild the party across the nation, but especially in Mississippi. 

“At the time of President Carter's tenure as president, the state of Mississippi had a governor, Cliff Finch,” she said. “I felt that there was a connection between the state and the national office through  that party’s effort to unite.”

Slaughter-Harvey says she cried when she heard about Carter’s death, and hopes his political legacy will live on. 

“I think the thing that stands out more than anything else is that President Carter appointed African-Americans to federal judgeships,” she said. “Those appointments changed the trajectory of the legal system. I really, really, really think that he moved the civil rights movement further along than most people give him credit for.”

President Carter had several ties to Mississippi. He visited the state in July of 1977 for the opening of Yazoo City's new integrated high school. President Carter also contributed to rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Katrina.