St. Louis Civil Rights Pioneer Looks Back On Long Career

Kansas City, MO – Frankie Muse Freeman is a St. Louis attorney who has practiced law for over 60 years. She's a civil rights lawyer, and with the NAACP, battled housing and education discrimination. Freeman was later appointed by President Johnson to be the first black woman to serve on the US Commission on Civil Rights. She served in that role for 14 years through the Nixon, Ford and Carter administrations. She was also president of Delta Sigma Theta, a sisterhood of mostly black college-educated women. In 2003, Frankie Freeman described her life experiences in a memoir, called A Song of Faith and Hope. And today, at 93 years old, Freeman still goes to her law office three days a week, and is involved in various St Louis community organizations. She was in town last week, and KC Currents' Susan Wilson sat down with her.

This story was produced for KC Currents. To listen on your own schedule, subscribe to the KC Currents Podcast .