In Memoriam: Leland Ware

Leland Ware, the inaugural Louis L. Redding Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration and professor of Africana studies at the University of Delaware, passed away April 26, 2026, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 77.

A noted authority on civil rights and civil liberties law, employment law and constitutional law, Professor Ware served on the Delaware faculty for more than 20 years, organizing a number of academic symposia and professional programs, as well as hosting many distinguished lectures.

In a 2023 UDaily article, Professor Ware said, "It's a very significant honor to occupy the [Redding Chair]. Louis Redding was a great man and a civil rights pioneer who argued two cases that were behind the Brown v. Board of Education decision." He said he hoped his body of work would speak for itself to advance racial equity and further discourse in civil rights law. "I would like to be remembered as a civil rights teacher and scholar, and for all the writing and publications I've engaged in over the years," he added.

Professor Ware was the author of more than 100 articles in academic journals and other publications on various aspects of civil rights law. He also authored A Century of Segregation: Race, Class, and Disadvantage, which examines how race, class and spatial isolation intersect in ways that disadvantage African Americans and other racial minorities; coauthored Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture and the Constitution; and coedited Choosing Equality: Essays and Narratives on the Desegregation Experience, which includes a foreword by former President Joe Biden.

His final book - Policies that Perpetuate Inequality - was published in January 2026 by Bloomsbury Press. The book is a collection of his essays that he pushed himself to finish as his research provided clarity on the national political situation as an adjunct to a worldwide movement to conservative political conditions.

Professor Ware retired in 2023 and then continued to work in the Biden School as a part-time adjunct faculty member. He was awarded emeritus status earlier this year.

Colleagues remember

Several of Professor Ware's friends and colleagues shared reminiscences.

Dan Rich, professor emeritus of public policy at the Biden School: "A highly accomplished scholar of civil rights and segregation, Leland Ware served with distinction as the founding Louis L. Redding Chair in Law and Social Policy at the Biden School. Holding a chair named for the revered lawyer who helped desegregate the University of Delaware, Leland was determined to further enhance the University's diversity. He conducted research and taught on civil rights and racial and ethnic equality, quickly earning recognition as one of Delaware's most respected civil rights experts. Leland was an outspoken advocate for the Biden School to play a leadership role in increasing the University's diversity and for the University to become more responsive to Black and Hispanic communities across Delaware. He helped recruit minority students to the Biden School's graduate programs and created the Junior Redding Scholars, a program in which high school students are mentored by UD graduate and undergraduate students. He was among the Biden School's most respected and influential faculty members, serving in key leadership positions, including interim and associate director of the school. Leland was soft-spoken, with a wry sense of humor and keen insights into how to achieve change at the University and in the community. For me and many others, he was a trusted friend and colleague, always available with wise counsel and encouragement."

James Jones, Trustees Distinguished Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Africana Studies Emeritus: "I am very much saddened by the passing of my friend and colleague Leland Ware. Leland was a man of very strong principles, and fierce dedication to civil rights, and an outstanding ability to organize and communicate. He was a stalwart at UD for a long time, and a reliable supporter of Black American Studies and the Center for the Study of Diversity during my tenure at the helm of these departments. I always relied on his wisdom, good judgment and forceful advocacy. The UD community will miss his presence and impact."

Wunyabari Maloba, Edward L. Ratledge Professor of Africana studies: "Fundamentally, Professor Leland Ware was a teacher and a mentor. He sought to create the next generation of students who would continue to tackle the country's legal and social challenges: racial discrimination, legal obstacles toward social justice and equality for all citizens in this country. His book, A Century of Segregation, has quickly become an invaluable frame of reference on the country's perennial and, regrettably, intractable problems that surround segregation and discrimination."

Daniel Smith, senior associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor in the Biden School: "Leland had a formative impact on me, first as my professor and later as my colleague. He exuded both brilliance and wisdom, the latter of which can only come from the kinds of life experiences he had. Perhaps above all else, Leland was profoundly decent and generous with his time, his expertise and his friendship. It's owing to all these traits that one always knew he had the best of intentions. Leland was truly the consummate professor, leader and public servant."

Yasser Payne, professor of sociology and associate professor of Africana studies: "Professor Ware was truly a beautiful man and extraordinary soul. As an upstanding husband and father and major legal scholar, Professor Ware paved the way for countless persons at and beyond the University of Delaware (UD). Far too many of us were blessed or made better as people because of him. In fact, his honest guidance, firm support and loving mentorship was supreme. Professor Ware was a giant of a mentor and it was truly a blessing to be gifted by his wisdom…. Professor Ware was the epitome of the Louis L. Redding Endowed Chair because he guided so many on how to authentically thrive while serving the most vulnerable. Professor Ware's work will certainly be kept alive in our scholarship and in the ways we support other deserving people. Among his notable lessons, however, was leading with professionalism and acquiring an awareness that honesty or justice-driven agendas often produced both positive and negative consequences for justice-centered persons…."

Sharon Neal, associate professor emerita of chemistry and biochemistry: "I don't really remember my first meeting with Professor Leland B. Ware. As the inaugural Louis Redding Professor of Law and Public Policy - and the first person of African heritage to hold an endowed chair on our campus - he was an immediate campus star, so our paths rarely crossed. I was focused on earning tenure (which came later that year) and establishing my laboratory, so I seldom ventured beyond my department. When we did meet, I'm sure I didn't have the confidence to say more than, 'it's great to meet you.' Eventually, I came to appreciate Leland's generosity and unwavering support for any effort to promote the advancement and achievements of others, but he was dignified and reserved, preferring to observe, write and work behind the scenes rather than make loud speeches, so it took time to know him. It was not until I was fortunate to become friends of his and Melva's that I learned how passionately he loved art, friendship and justice. Leland was not demonstrative, but he was a loyal and steadfast friend - thoughtful, earnest and deeply principled. I will miss his quiet, attentive presence and sharp, insightful commentary. Above all, I will continue to be inspired by, and seek to emulate, his unwavering dedication to justice and fairness for all."

Francis Kwansa, associate professor and associate chairperson of the Department of Hospitality Business Management: "Professor Leland Ware was the inaugural Louis Redding Endowed Professor at UD. Louis Redding was an acclaimed civil rights attorney whose efforts helped desegregate the University of Delaware in 1949. In this role, Professor Ware ensured that Attorney Redding's accomplishments were well known throughout the state and the country. He was very active in the African Heritage Caucus, providing guidance and leadership to the caucus during presidential transitions at the University. We will miss him."

About Leland Ware

Before coming to the University of Delaware in 2000, Professor Ware taught at the St. Louis University School of Law for 13 years. He was a visiting professor at Boston College Law School in 1992 and at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, in 1997.

He served as university counsel at Howard University from 1984-1987, after being a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, in Washington, D.C. Previously, he practiced with a private firm in Atlanta and with the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he earned his bachelor's degree at Fisk University and completed his law degree at Boston College Law School.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Melva Lawson Ware, who is an adjunct faculty member in the Biden School, and their son, Leland Ware Jr.; a brother Philip Ware (Robbie) in McDonough, Georgia, and sisters Franita Ware in Denver, Colorado, and Wanda Ware in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with other relatives and friends,

Memorial events will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, and Newark, Delaware, on dates to be announced.

To read his complete obituary or leave online condolences, please visit Evan W. Smith Funeral Services.