Helen Shores Lee

Helen Shores Lee
Lee c. 1983
Born
Helen Glynn Shores

(1941-05-03)May 3, 1941
Birmingham, Alabama, US
DiedJuly 2, 2018(2018-07-02) (aged 77)
Birmingham, Alabama, US
Education
OccupationsJudge, lawyer, clinical psychologist
FatherArthur Shores

Helen Shores Lee (May 3, 1941 – July 2, 2018) was an American jurist and lawyer, serving as the first African-American female judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama.

Early life and education

Lee was born in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, on May 3, 1941. Her father was Arthur Davis Shores, a prominent civil rights attorney in Alabama and her mother, Theodora, was active in their community. Her neighborhood was a frequent target of the Ku Klux Klan and was attacked so many times it earned the nickname Dynamite Hill. Lee grew up in the segregated South, with separate facilities and entrances for black people. Given her parents' work, Lee herself often tried to resist the racism of the time throughout her adolescence. Lee tried to shoot at a car of white men threatening the family home when she was 13, but her father stopped her.

Shores' house following a bombing, 1963

Lee first attended a trial during Lucy v. Adams in 1955, where her father represented Autherine Lucy amidst the effort to desegregate the University of Alabama. She later described the disrespect toward her father in the case as dispiriting, driving her away from a legal career.

Lee graduated from A.H. Parker High School and went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Fisk University in 1962. In 1963, Lee's house was bombed twice within two weeks and also shot at; one attack injured Lee's mother and killed their family pet. She relocated to California and later earned her Master of Arts in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

Career and later life

From 1971 to 1987, Lee worked as a clinical psychologist, before being encouraged by family friend Chris McNair to "follow in her father's footsteps". She enrolled in the Cumberland School of Law, graduating with her Juris Doctor in 1987 and admission to the Alabama State Bar in 1988. As a lawyer, she fought against both racial discrimination and segregation and working on cases dealing with employment discrimination and civil rights. She served on the Alabama State Ethics Commission from 1996 to 2000, and served as chairwomen from 1999 to 2000.

In 2003, Lee became a judge for the 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama. She was the first African-American woman to serve as a judge in Jefferson County. In 2012, Lee published The Gentle Giant of Dynamite Hill: the Untold Story of Arthur Shores and His Family's Fight for Civil Rights, co-authored by Lee and her sister Barbara.

Lee retired in 2016. She died on July 2, 2018.

Awards and honors

References

  1. ↑ "Miss Helen Glynn Shores Makes Her Bow to Birmingham Society". The Huntsville Mirror. Jun 28, 1958. p. 3. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Wright, Erica (July 3, 2018). "ACROSS AMERICA: Judge Helen Shores Lee, daughter of famed civil rights attorney, dies at 77". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Sollie, Lisa (February 13, 2025). "First African American circuit judge and first female state auditor to enter Alabama Women's Hall of Fame". University of West Alabama. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ Bell, Geraldine Watts; Lamar, Hattie Griffin (March 19, 2010). Women of Uncommon Valor: Life Stories of Women from Birmingham, Alabama. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 9780761889953. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  5. ↑ Elliott, Debbie (July 6, 2013). "Remembering Birmingham's 'Dynamite Hill' Neighborhood". NPR. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  6. ↑ Rogers, David (April 1, 2012). "Judge Helen Shores Lee shares childhood memories at Bar Association Law Day lunch". Palm Beach Daily News. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Rodriguez, Ana (2013-03-12). "Judge Helen Shores Lee on growing up on 'Dynamite Hill,' her 'journey to equality'". al. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  8. 1 2 3 Isom, Lanier Scott (May 30, 2014). "A Legacy of Justice: Judges discuss how their fathers' acts of courage helped shape their lives". AL.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 "Helen Shores Lee". Alabama African American History. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Waters, Rushing (September 6, 2018). "Forged in fire: honoring the late Judge Helen Shores Lee". Bham Now. Retrieved May 3, 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Helen Shores Lee (1941-2018)". Alabama Women's Hall of Fame. 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 Worthy, Ariel (July 7, 2018). "Judge Helen Shores Lee fondly remembered during homegoing celebration". Birmingham Times. Retrieved May 3, 2026.