Alix Sanders, a longtime Greenwood attorney and former Leflore County supervisor, was recently honored as one of the first African-Americans to complete his law school career, from start to finish, at the University of Mississippi School of Law.
Last month, the law school held “Recollections and Reflections: Celebrating 50 Years of Diversity,” a weekend in which several African-Americans who were considered pioneers during their time at the school were honored.
“While on campus, they contributed to the quality of life, of their fellow classmates and by extension the history and legacy of African-Americans at the law school,” said the law school’s acknowledgements for the celebration.
Sanders said at the time, African-Americans did not feel that they were doing something honorary; they were just doing something they believed in.
Sanders, a Greenwood native, began his collegiate years at Jackson State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in history and political science in 1966.
He graduated from the University of Mississippi Law School in 1969.
Sanders said he became an attorney because as a young man he wanted to bring about change.
After graduation, he was a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellow and received additional law training at the University of Pennsylvania.
He then worked for North Mississippi Rural Legal Services, an organization that has provided representation to many civil rights protesters and activists and works to serve underprivileged clients.
While there, he earned an internship with a law firm in Washington D.C., before returning to Greenwood in the 1970s. He accepted a position with the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and served as director of North Mississippi Rural Legal Services.
Sanders opened the first African-American law firm in Greenwood, where he worked extensively in education law but also practiced in other areas including criminal, business and civil rights law.
Sanders was also the first African-American to be elected to the Board of Supervisors in Leflore County, a position he held for 20 years.
He said the biggest accomplishment of his career was his work in civil rights and desegregation cases.
“The family is very proud of his accomplishments over the past 50 years,” said his wife, Betty Sanders, a former circuit judge. “We are very pleased that Ole Miss law school honored him after all these years.”
Attorney Donnie Brock said he and Sanders used to ride together back to the university from Greenwood on several occasions. “I have known him for many years, and I am a strong supporter of him and Betty,” Brock said.
Brock and Sanders worked together when Sanders was on the Leflore County Board of Supervisors and Brock was chairman of the Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation.
“We worked closely together on endeavors to attract business to Greenwood. He was very effective,” Brock said.
As a lawyer, Sanders had an excellent reputation and was well known for his honesty and integrity, Brock said: “He was well respected in the legal community, not only in Greenwood but in the surrounding area.”
State Sen. David Jordan first met Sanders through Sanders’ brother Cody while working in the Carrollton school system. Jordan said Sanders represented him in several cases and was the attorney for the Greenwood Voters League for years.
Jordan said Sanders had a large impact on the civil rights movement in Greenwood on getting African-Americans elected into public office.
Alix and Betty Sanders have three children together: Neysha Sanders, Neeka Sanders Johnson and Alix H. Sanders Jr.
•Contact Lauren Randall at 581-7239 or lrandall@gwcommonwealth.com.
The original version of this article incorrectly reported that Alix Sanders had been elected to a countywide office.
