Joe L. Reed, of Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...

, is an African-American advocate for public education and the Democratic party.

Early life

Joe Reed was born in Conecuh County, Alabama

Conecuh County, Alabama

-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*51.3% White*46.5% Black*0.3% Native American*0.1% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.0% Two or more races*1.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...

, to the late Louis and Eula Morgan Reed. He is married to Mollie Perry of Marion, Perry County, Alabama. They have three (3) children. He attended public schools in Conecuh County, served a Tour of Duty in the U. S. Army in Korea, graduated from Alabama State University, where he was President of the Junior Class and President of the Student Body. He holds a Masters Degree from Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...

 in political science. Alabama State University

Alabama State University

Alabama State University, founded 1867, is a historically black university located in Montgomery, Alabama. ASU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- History :...

 conferred the Honorary Doctor of Law Degree on him in 1980.

Education Advocacy

Joe Reed served as Executive Secretary of the Alabama State Teachers Association from 1964 to 1969, where he became nationally known as a champion of employee rights. He was the key negotiator for the ASTA leading up to the merger with the AEA, and subsequently serves as Associate Executive Secretary of the Alabama Education Association (AEA) to this date. Joe Reed is also a member of numerous professional associations.

Politics

Joe Reed has served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention eight (8) times; he served as Chairman of the Alabama Delegation during the 2000 Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 in Los Angeles. He is Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Conference (ADC) and Vice Chair of the Democratic Party for Minority Affairs, and he was National Co-Chair for the Committee of Educators for the Humphrey/Muskie ticket in 1968. In 2008 Hillary Clinton outreached to Joe Reed (before Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 was viewed as a serious contender in the 2008 Presidential race), to be her pointman in the area. Reed kept his promise to her using his political clout to assist her campaign. In a steadfast show of loyalty to his word, Joe Reed endorsed Obama only after Hillary Clinton gave up her bid. Joe Reed attended the Democratic Convention featuring the acceptance speech of Barack Obama as well as the inauguration of the nation's first black president.

Advocate for Minority Representation & Equality

Joe Reed is known as a “fighter for fairness” for black representation. In 1975, Joe Reed led the efforts to get equitable representation for blacks on the Montgomery City Council. His efforts resulted in four (4) blacks of nine (9) being elected. He served on the Montgomery City Council for 24 years. In the Democratic Party today, Alabama’s black representation exceeds all other states in the nation. For over 40 years he has led the effort to get more blacks elected and appointed to public office, including federal marshals, federal and state judges, members of the boards of registrars, legislators, county commissioners, city councils, and school boards. Due largely to his leadership, today Alabama has more black elected officials than any state in the nation. He drafted two (2) plans that increased black representation in the Alabama House of Representatives from 13 to 27; and in the Senate from 3 to 8 in 1982, and 1992, respectively. He also drew a reapportionment plan that provided for 25% (two of eight) majority black districts on the State Board of Education. Alabama is the only state in the nation where the Legislature reflects the state’s population of blacks and whites. Dr. Reed’s congressional plan also led to Alabama’s gaining a black congressional seat.

Alabama State University Advocate

Joe Reed is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Alabama State University. By driving through the campus, one can see evidence of his leadership, the C. J. Dunn Towers, the Acadome, (see naming rights controversy below) the Martin Luther King, Jr. Dormitory, the Bessie Estell Dormitory, Olean Black Underwood 12-court tennis complex, and the acquisition of Bel Air and other areas which doubled the size of the campus in Montgomery; and the purchase of Southern Normal School in Brewton, Alabama, added an additional 400 acres (1.6 km²), just to name a few of his accomplishments. During the late 1990s Joe Reed's quest for excellence for Alabama State University often found him at odds with Donald Watkins

Donald Watkins

Donald V. Watkins of Birmingham, Alabama is an African-American lawyer and entrepreneur. He is the father of four adult sons and a teenage daughter. Watkins was married to DeAndra Y. Johnson. The couple divorced in 2004...

, in highly publicized differences of opinion. South Magazine ranked him as one of the seven most influential persons in Montgomery. He has also been rated as one of the ten most influential citizens in the State of Alabama.

Naming Rights Controversy

Reed is most known for his efforts in establishing an Acadome at Alabama State University which was named after him as the Joe L. Reed Acadome. In 2008, the Alabama State Board of Trustees voted to remove Reed's name from the building, based upon claims that Reed gave the university negative publicity and wasted taxpayer money by filing too many frivolous lawsuits. At the same time, the trustees named the court in honor of James V. Oliver, ASU's former basketball coach. [2] This furthered a debate between members of the board and Reed's supporters. In the 2009 legislative session, two legislators filed bills to restore Reed's name to the leading to actions by legislators filing bills in the 2009 session to restore Reed's name to the building, but both were withdrawn.