Conrad Laurel Raiford (December 27, 1907 – May 20, 2002) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador and one of the first African-American police officers in Greensboro, North Carolina.

After a five-year tour of duty, Raiford traded his badge for a rundown schoolhouse for black children located in a remote area of Guilford County called Goodwill.

[2] When the United States entered World War II in 1941, Raiford was authorized to aid military personnel and engage in voluntary rescue missions for the American Red Cross.

[6][failed verification][citation needed] Raiford was a key player during the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960s by becoming one of Greensboro's two African-American bail bondsmen.

[citation needed] When a targeted Jackson began facing a higher bail and stiffer sentence, Raiford often got the peaceful protester out of jail on credit to continue the South's expanding Freedom Movement.

[2][7][8] In the wake of riots in American cities following the April 4, 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, the State of North Carolina enforced a strict curfew that made it illegal for all civilians to leave their homes after 8:00 p.m. On the evening of April 9, 1968, Raiford dropped off a couple of just-freed A&T students and was returning home when he violated the curfew.

[2] Raiford attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (A&T), where he lettered in football, track, baseball and swimming.