Against All Odds
by Stacy Gilliam
Howard Magazine
Fall 2004 Beating the odds makes a success story that
much sweeter. For Isiah Leggett, odds were he wouldn’t turn out
to be the scholar and highly awarded political and public
service leader he is today. Leggett, who currently chairs the
Maryland Democratic Party, is on the Montgomery County Council
and teaches law at Howard.
One
of 13 siblings who grew up destitute in Alexandria, La., the
probability of him even making it to college was slight. He
almost didn’t.
“I had to beg my way into college at Southern [University],”
says Leggett, 59, who earned his B.A. in political science in
1967. “I got in because of a work- related program during the
summer prior to my first year.”
Cutting grass for the university gave him a foot in the door,
and he charged in fearlessly on his quest for knowledge. It
wasn’t long before the “yard kid” became an outstanding student
who turned out to be president of the student government.
He credits his mother for passing on seeds of wisdom that
eventually flourished, giving him the verve to accomplish great
things in his life. As the Black Power Movement surged into full
force in the 1970s, Leggett became a decorated Army captain,
serving in the Vietnam War. By 1974, he had earned two more
degrees, including a law degree from Howard University, where he
finished first in his class. Two years later, he earned a
master’s in law degree from George Washington University, and in
1978, he won a selective White House Fellowship. “Howard
opened up a vast opportunity to me,” Leggett says. “It refined
me in many ways and gave me a greater exposure to people and
information that was missing in my education. Howard trains
lawyers, lawyers who are able to make a difference.”
Howard, Leggett says, ultimately showed him the possibilities
of combining his two interests: serving the community and
educating others. In doing so, he has served as a professor at
the School of Law for 28 years and has served on the Montgomery
County Council for 16 years. He also has received numerous
awards for his tireless work in the community.
This fall, Leggett is working extra hard to make a difference
in the November presidential election. By spreading the spirit
of unity carried from the Democratic National Convention in
July, he is energizing the constituency and party alike. But in
his daily work as a professor, he continues to affect the lives
of future attorneys, showing them through his own experience
that excellence doesn’t care if you grew up poor in a small town
in Louisiana. “Nothing is more satisfying than to see your
students doing well,” he says. “Of all the things I do, it’s the
most gratifying.” |