Honorable Bro. Demetrius C. Newton

The Hon. Bro. Newton was born on March 15, 1928, in Fairfield, Alabama. Following high school, he traveled to Wilberforce University to obtain his Bachelors of Arts. During his undergrad, at the age of 17, Newton became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.  After the Hon. Bro. Newton graduated from Wilberforce he furthered his education at Boston University, where he earned his doctorate from the school of Law in 1952. The Hon. Bro. Newton intended to attend the law school at the University of Alabama, but the state of Alabama was not prepared to integrate its state law school, and so they paid for him to attend law school at Boston University. While in Boston, the Hon. Bro. Newton was active in Phi Beta Sigma’s Boston Alumni Chapter, “Pi Beta Sigma.” It was also at Boston University where he met Martin Luther King, Jr. The two of them would have an enduring relationship where Bro. Newton would serve as his friend and legal counsel during the civil rights era.

Before starting his law practice, The Hon. Bro. Newton served in the US Army during the Korean War. Upon returning, he built a civil rights practice, filing numerous lawsuits aimed to debunk and diminish segregationist laws. This included filing the first lawsuit under the Title VII of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 which “prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.” During his time as an attorney, the Hon. Bro. Newton also worked on Rosa Parks’ defense after her arrest and represented many African Americans who were arrested during the civil rights movement. Due to his heavy involvement in civil rights and politics, the Hon. Bro. Newton was elected to serve as the International President of Phi Beta Sigma from 1981-1984. Afterward, He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1986, and was elected as the speaker pro tempore in 1998, becoming the first Black speaker pro tempore in Alabama's history. The Hon. Bro. Newton served in the role until 2010.