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


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.
2006

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.

Shondriette
Kelly, Recording Secretary, (Middle) and Sam Hamilton, (Left) take
an opportunity to get an autograph from a Tuskegee Airman
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.
2005
Black History Month
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.
Executive Board Members: Hon. Sharon V. Burrell and William Snoddy