When the Watts neighborhood was consumed by a historic uprising in 1965, culminating years of simmering tension and marking a major turning point in local and American history, Los Angeles residents looked to Billy Mills, then a member of the city council and a leading voice of justice and equity, to help bring the community back together.

Mills – who died on June 27 at age 96 – is being remembered with awe and admiration by Angelenos who make their homes in a city that he played a significant role in shaping. Years before he left an indelible mark on Los Angeles, Mills was a proud double Bruin, a 1951 graduate of UCLA and, in 1954, the first Black graduate of UCLA School of Law.

“Few members of our law school community better personify UCLA Law’s founding mission of public service and excellence than Billy Mills does,” Dean Michael Waterstone said. “He brought people together and was a builder of community and defender of justice. The feeling of pride that so many of us carry as UCLA students, graduates, faculty and staff has its roots in the courage and determination that he and his fellow founding figures imbued in our collective spirit.”

One of the region’s most esteemed civic leaders, Mills was widely respected for his commitment to the communities that he served. He was “a trailblazing public servant, civil rights attorney, and jurist whose life helped shape the arc of justice and opportunity in our city,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement. “Mills broke barriers and helped open doors for generations of Angelenos.”

Bass traced Mills’ incredible journey from the American South to the heights of Los Angeles leadership. “Judge Mills was born in Waco, Texas, and raised near a sundown town,” she said. “He later built his career in Los Angeles while navigating segregation and racial intolerance, yet he refused to accept that reality as permanent. He devoted his life to advancing equal justice and helping build a fairer city.”

Mills practiced law after his UCLA Law graduation and, in 1963, was elected alongside future mayor Tom Bradley as the first Black members of the Los Angeles City Council. To this day, South L.A. benefits from the paved alleys and other infrastructure projects that he promoted to improve the community. Later, then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him to the Los Angeles Superior Court, where he served on the bench for more than 20 years.

A member of the law school’s third graduating class and long recognized as one of its most distinguished graduates, Mills was presented with the UCLA School of Law Award for outstanding alumni and friends in 1984. In 2003, he earned the Public Service Award from the UCLA Alumni Association. In addition, the Dr. Rubye and Judge Billy G. Mills Scholarship goes to UCLA undergraduates, and another scholarship was established at the law school in 2017 for talented students who have overcome substantial obstacles to pursue legal careers.

In 2025, members of the Black Law Students Association at UCLA Law held their annual gala in Mills’ name and honor. The event raised close to $100,000 for Black law students.

Mills’ deep ties to UCLA endured for decades. Among other engagements, he had been a member of the UCLA Foundation’s board of directors and president of the UCLA Law Alumni Association. It is where met his wife, Rubye, who earned her undergraduate degree (1951), master of education degree (1974) and doctorate of education (1981) at UCLA. She died in 2018. His survivors include five children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.