J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association

Black History Month
In honor of Black History Month, the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association and the Prince George's County Bar Assocaition, co-sponsor an annual event at the United States District Courthouse in Greenbelt, Maryland as a joint meeting between the bar associations.

Barbara Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law will be the speaker for the Joint Meeting with the Prince George’s County Bar Association and the Bar Association of Montgomery County. The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law.

Barbara R. Arnwine, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law since 1989, is internationally renowned for contributions on critical justice issues including the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1991. A graduate of Scripps College and Duke University School of Law, she continues to champion civil rights issues nationally and internationally in the areas of housing, fair lending, community development, employment, voting, education, environmental justice and more. A prominent leader in the civil rights community, Ms. Arnwine also continues to fight for the preservation of affirmative action and diversity programs.

Ms. Arnwine is a prominent leader of Election Protection (EP), the nation's largest nonpartisan voter protection coalition, launched in 2004 to assist historically disenfranchised persons to exercise the fundamental right to vote. In 2008, EP involved more than 10,000 volunteers and the EP hotline received more than 240,000 calls. For the 2010 General Election, the Lawyers' Committee recruited, trained and deployed over 2,000 legal volunteers in 25 jurisdictions and received over 20,000 calls from voters seeking assistance or reporting problems to the 1-866-OUR-VOTE and1-888-Ve-Y-Vota hotlines which were located in 17 call centers across the country; 13,350 reports were collected through the Our Vote Live database (www.OurVoteLive.org).

Click here to download a Maryland Frequently Asked Questions document created by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and its pro bono law firm partners. You must RSVP and pay $30 to participate as a member of Bourne. You can pay by credit card using PayPal here: http://bit.ly/AkvSTF

On February 8, 2011, at the Annual Joint meeting with the Prince George’s County Bar Association, we were honored to have as our invited guest, Leroy Battle, who is one of the original Tuskegee Airmen. At 90 years of age, Mr. Battle shared with the audience who gathered at the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt the struggle and perils that he and fellow Tuskegee Airmen endured to become the first African-American fighter pilots in the history of the U.S. Military.

On Thursday February 3, 2011, the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, in partnership with the Bar Foundation of Montgomery County, Maryland, hosted "Intersections: the Bar, the Law, and the Underground Railroad," a program in celebration of Black History Month.

With more than 130 people in attendance, this event served as a three hour examination of the connection between slavery, the Underground Railroad and Montgomery County's legal community in the early 19th century.

Held in Rockville's historic 110 year old "Red Brick" Courthouse in Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Sharon Burrell's courtroom, the standing room only crowd was educated by a pictorial presentation delivered by Anthony Cohen. Cohen, a local historian and Executive Director of the Menare Foundation (an organization that preserves the history and sites associated with the Underground Railroad), recounted various stories stemming from the experience of those who lived in the county during slavery's prevalence.

Having personally walked the Underground Railroad from Maryland to Canada more than once, Cohen also identified various locations and landmarks that served as part of the network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves who made their way to freedom. One prominent example was Route 355/Rockville Pike, which serves as a major thorough fare from Washington, D.C. to Frederick, Maryland via Montgomery County. "If you came here today by Rockville Pike, you traveled the Underground Railroad." Cohen remarked.
In addition, Cohen explained many legal traditions used by local law makers to sustain the institution of slavery. One such example centered around the practices of the Maryland General Assembly. According to Cohen, many land owners were legislators in the early 19th century. As a result, they initiated the practice of convening between January and April because other times during the year were busier for farming; therefore, requiring greater management of slaves who tended to the crops on these properties.

Following the presentation, was a panel discussion consisting of Cohen; attorney Edward A. Hailes, Jr., formerly with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, as well as the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; and Christopher E. Haley, Research Director of the Slavery Project at the Maryland State Archives, and nephew to Alex Haley, the author of "Roots." Moderated by Angela Hart Edwards, Esq., the group touched on a wide range of related topics, including property issues, marriage, voting and employment rights, as well as immigration law.

A personal story that emerged from the discussion involved Montgomery County Assistant State's Attorney Karla Smith. Smith shared with the audience that her family descended from slaves who lived in the Sandy Spring area of the county that eventually made their way to freedom in Canada. Smith, who now serves as the Chief of the Family Violence Unit in the State's Attorney's Office, presented various historical family artifacts, including legal documents demonstrating how some of her ancestors purchased their freedom decades before in the Rockville Courthouse.

A wide cross section of the legal community participated in the event including several judges, private practitioners, local government attorneys, and court house staff. Among those attendees were Court of Appeals Judge Mary Ellen Barbera, Montgomery County Circuit Court Administrative Judge John W. Debelius III, Montgomery County State's Attorney John J. McCarthy and Montgomery County District Public Defender Brian Shefferman. Also present was U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Day, who served as the event chairman on behalf of Bourne.

The general community at large also supported and enjoyed the event. "It was great to see a culturally diverse interest in learning about the history of slavery in Montgomery County" stated county resident Bernice North. Dr. Jack Monell, a former county juvenile justice counselor and current university professor said "Cohen's description of slavery as an institution directly intertwined with the legal process in Montgomery County, is information that more of us - especially our youth - need to know."

Many attendees expressed a desire to continue this type of dialogue at future events. Bar Foundation President E. Joseph Fitzpatrick Jr. concurred, stating that hopefully this meeting will serve as a "springboard" for further discussion about local history among lawyers and judges.

On February 10, 2009 The J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association and the Prince George’s County Bar Association held a joint meeting at the United States District Court in Greenbelt, MD to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP. Panelist included, The Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr., U.S. District Court of Maryland, Julius L. Chambers, Board Member and former Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc., and Earl Adams, Jr., Vice President of the Prince George’s County Chapter of the NAACP and Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Anthony Brown.

Judge Williams acknowledged that without the NAACP and the efforts of like organizations and our civil rights leaders, he probably would not hold the position he holds today. However, he challenged the NAACP to begin to be proactive as opposed to reactive to issues. Judge Williams opined that NAACP must act like a think tank, anticipating issues such as foreclosure, redistricting, the high prison rates of African Americans and re-entry programs. Earl Adams respectfully opined that the NAACP has been proactive, especially in Prince George’s County. Mr. Adams stated that the Prince George’s County Chapter maintains a relationship with local officials and meets with them on issues relating to the county. He cited, the tri-county health fair, which addressed the disparity in healthcare for minorities, and a class action lawsuit relating to mortgage fraud on African Americans. Mr. Adams stated that the NAACP is still relevant but must find a way to energize young people, as the days of using the media as a tool to advance its causes are gone.

Many of our members were honored that Mr. Chambers participated in our program. Mr. Chambers stated that although he is concerned about other civil rights issues, his passion is to ensure education for poor children. Mr. Chambers noted that although we have made substantial progress, there is still work to be done. He expressed his concern that there are still many people (poor, black and other minorities) that still can’t find affordable counsel although they have legitimate legal issues. He urged us, as attorneys, to make sure that they get relief. He challenged us to establish a civil Gideon to deal with the issue of people not being able to afford attorneys to get civil redress. Mr. Chambers stated that he is inspired to keep working because minorities are still excluded from a lot of entitlements. “Until we get to that point, we can’t join Dr. Martin Luther King in looking over the mountain top.”

DR. CARTER G. WOODSON AND
THE ORGINS OF MULTICULTURALISM
The 75th Anniversary of the Publication of
The Mis-Education of the Negro

February 2008 was a whirlwind. It may have been the most historic African-American History Month of our lives.

We started with the basics: A primer in the origins of Black History Month given by a representative of theorganization that founded the observance in the first place. At the well-attended joint Prince George’s Bar Association/JFBBA meeting on February 5th, we were treated to a lively lesson in American and African-American history by Barbara Dunn, membership director for the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH), direct successor to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the originator of Negro History Week.

Barbara’s multimedia presentation in the jury room of the Federal Courthouse in Greenbelt graphically showed us that the remedies posited by Dr. Woodson’s in his classic treatise, The Mis-Education of the Negro, especially a multicultural approach to education, could help alleviate many of the social ills still plaguing contemporary America as she struggles with the problems of inequality and intolerance.

Special Thanks to the U.S. District Court Bench in Greenbelt for allowing us the use of the Courthouse for our Joint Meeting.

Member Dennis Whitley, Sergeant Zedore Campbell,
1st Sergeant Clyde Fairfax, Corporal Curtis Womack and
Prince George’s County Bar Assoc. President Archie Palmore

JFB, the Prince George’s County Bar Association and the Bar Association of Montgomery County honored Black History Month with a presentation of the Buffalo Soldiers.

We were all treated to a special evening with the 9th and 10th Horse Calvary Buffalo Soldiers, Washington DC Chapter. The Buffalo Soldiers (a name coined by the American Indians) had the responsibility of defending this great county against the Indians.

After the Civil War, these soldiers were formed to protect the white settlements and frontiersmen, who often greeted them with much hostility. The true bravery of these soldiers in the face of unparalleled discrimination is beyond question. We stand on the shoulder of these pioneers and owe it to them to make our mark for future generations.

President Abigale Bruce-Watson,
Past Presidents Debra Davis, Betty Hewlett,
William Snoddy, and a JFB Founding Member Samuel Hamilton (From left to right)

Past President Judge Toni Clarke, Trooper Loretta Clarke, Samuel Hamilton, and other attendees (From left to right)

Judge Krystal Quinn Alves enjoying her charge to educate future generations about our history.

President Sharon Burrell (Middle) and The Honorable Hassan El-Amin (Left) are joined by the Guests of Honor: The Tuskegee Airmen.

“Enriched by our past, prepared for our future.” That was the theme of a documentary video about the Tuskegee Airmen that was shown at the joint meeting between JFB and the Prince George’s County Bar Association on February 7th, 2006. As we celebrate Black History month, it is important to reflect on how far we have come and where we are going.

The Tuskegee Airmen gave an exciting and educating presentation about their skills and accomplishments, and also spoke of the discrimination that they faced on a daily basis. Col. Hank Henry spoke of how black officers were not allowed to eat in the same cafeteria as white officers, even though German prisoners of war were allowed to do so. And no matter how much experience the black officers had, they were always considered “trainees.” The Airmen recognized that they had to be better than the white officers to be taken seriously. They accepted the challenge and surpassed all expectations, despite the obstacles. Tuskegee Airman Charles Herbert Flowers was one of the first African American Army pilot instructors and made sure that the black pilots he trained were always well-prepared.

Tuskegee Airman Cicero Satterfield was the only non-commissioned officer present. Although he was not a pilot – he was an airplane mechanic – Satterfield certainly contributed to the success of the Tuskegee Airmen, for without persons making sure that the planes would fly, there would be no pilots. He stated that “in the dimension of time there is only one constant – now. We cannot extricate ourselves from the present.” The principles espoused by the Airmen are principles that apply to everyone. We must act now to prepare the next generation for tomorrow.

JFB had a great February. We heard from both our own Black History figure and from some potential future Black History figures. The month began with our annual joint meeting with the Prince George’s County Bar Association at the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. If you were not there, you missed JFB’s founding president and U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.’s informative discussion on the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) and its present day implications.

After recounting the history of events that led to the passage of the VRA, Judge Williams cited several contemporary issues that impact the law, particularly the disenfranchisement of convicted felons.

Judge Williams, the first elected African-American State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, pointed out that African- Americans constitute about onehalf of about approximately of 4 million persons who are disenfranchised as a result of having a felony conviction. Yet 13 states, including Maryland, ban felons from voting. He advised that we keep an eye on Muntaqim v. Coombe, challenging New York’s felon disenfranchisement statute. Although a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal on summary judgment of an inmate’s claim that the statute violated the VRA, the Court has granted a rehearing en banc. So stay tuned.

Many thanks, Judge Williams, for your thoughtful and informative exposition on the VRA.