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Justice for a Black Soldier after 80 Years, with Help from These Lawyers, Reuters

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Reuters highlights the efforts of a Morgan Lewis pro bono team to help set the record straight on behalf of the only living relative of 20-year-old Black soldier Private Albert King, 83 years after his death.

Working in conjunction with Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, the team, comprising partner Matthew Hawes and associates Micah Jones and Christopher Melendez, all veterans, initially persuaded the US Army to change its records and reclassify Private King’s death as having been “in the line of duty.”

“Our task was to figure out a way to crack open” the case, Matthew told Reuters. A year after doing so, the team has planned a full military funeral at a cemetery near Fort Moore to remember King. The ceremony will include the unveiling of a new headstone, full military honors, remarks from Congressman Sanford D. Bishop (GA-02), and a proclamation from the office of Congressman Shri Thanedar (D-MI).

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