[4] At the University of Chicago's Metallurgical Laboratory, he worked alongside twelve famous Black Americans who made an impact to the projects mission.
[2] In the 1940s due to Jim Crow segregation laws only the white Americans and European refugee scientists could work freely on the site, black researchers could not.
[7] Therefore a "Solid South" bloc of Democrats in Congress insisted that the new city reflected the Jim Crow segregation where African American could work.
[7] A "secret city" was built in the rural farmland of Anderson County, and African- American chemists and scientists were transferred to live there.
[7] Reed and J. Ernest Wilkins worked with European refugee scientists Enrico Fermi and Leo Szilard in the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory, known as the "Met Lab".
[5] In the interview, Reed stated,My life story would be very different had not World War II intervened with the need to more fully utilize all the nation’s manpower and with the continued opening up of opportunities to all.
[2]After the war, Reed made significant contributions to the development of nuclear energy and its applications,[1] including publishing over 120 scientific papers.
[5][3] Along with his scientific endeavors, Reed was an active civil rights activist, advocating for African Americans' equality and justice.