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The NBA Perspective
· Objectives · History · Briefs · Publications · Milestomes
· Civil Efforts · Political · Conference · International

During the first quarter of the 20th century, twelve African-American pioneers with a mutual interest in, and dedication to justice and the civil rights of all, helped structure the struggle of the African-American race in America. George H. Woodson, S. Joe Brown, Gertrude E. Rush, James B. Morris, Charles P. Howard, Sr., Wendell E. Green, C. Francis Stradford, Jesse N. Baker, William H. Haynes, George C. Adams, Charles H. Calloway and L. Amasa Knox conceived the National Bar Association (NBA), formally organized in Des Moines, IA on August 1, 1925.

When the NBA was organized in 1925, there were fewer than 1,000 African-American lawyers in the nation, and less than 120 belonged to the Association. By 1945, there were nearly 250 members representing 25% of the African-American members of the bar. Over the past 75 years, the NBA has grown enormously in size and influence.

Today, the NBA Board of Governors formulates the Association's policies. The Board consists of the following: officers (president, president-elect, four vice presidents, secretary and treasurer; twelve regional directors; five former NBA presidents; seven at-large representatives; seven affiliated chapter representatives; one representative from each of the twenty-one substantive legal sections and one from each of the nine special interest divisions. Between the regular meetings of the Board of Governors, the Executive Committee, which is composed of the NBA officers and seven board members, functions on behalf of the Board. From the national headquarters in Washington, DC, an executive director serves as chief operating executive and supervises daily operations. The National Bar Association Magazine, the official publication of the Association, mainly facilitates communication between members, staff and others. Finally in 1984, the NBA purchased its official headquarters at 1225 11th Street, NW Washington, DC 20001.

OBJECTIVES OF THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION
The objectives of the NBA "…shall be to advance the science of jurisprudence; improve the administration of justice; preserve the independence of the judiciary and to uphold the honor and integrity of the legal profession; to promote professional and social intercourse among the members of the American and the international bars; to promote legislation that will improve the economic condition of all American citizens, regardless of race, sex or creed in their efforts to secure a free and untrammeled use of the franchise guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States; and to protect the civil and political rights of the citizens and residents of the United States."

HISTORY OF THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION
Legions of African-American lawyers affiliated with the NBA ushered in the rule of law through the turbulent 1920's and 1930's, R.D. Evans, for example, who later became a member of the NBA, tried the first case in Waco, Texas to prevent the Democratic Party from forbidding "colored people" to vote in election primaries in 1919.

From the 1920's through the 1950's, African-American lawyers such as the Honorable James A. Cobb, T. Gillis Nutter, and Ashbie Hawkins fought the famous segregation case of Louisville, and the Covenants case of The District of Columbia. Early NBA pioneers S.D. McGill, R.P. Crawford, and J.L. Lewis fought to have sentences of execution stayed in the Florida case popularly referred to as the "Four Pompano Boys." Wherever there was a fight to wage in defense of the rights of Blacks and poor people, the NBA was there.

In 1940, when the number of African-American lawyers barely exceeded 1,000 nation wide, the NBA attempted to establish "free legal clinics in all cities with a colored population of 5,000 or more." The NBA was ahead of the "War on Poverty" programs of the 1960's, which gave birth to federal legal aid to the indigent. Members of the NBA were leaders of the pro bono movement at a time when they could least afford to provide free legal services and before poverty law became profitable.

When the Supreme Court outlawed school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education the NBA was only 25 years old. This decision culminated a long struggle by African-American lawyers. Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American United States Supreme Court Justice, and United States District court Judge Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American female federal judge, are two outstanding jurists who helped make Brown v. Board of Education a pivotal case in American Civil Rights history. Through continuing service, the NBA has become known as America's legal conscience.

For the NBA, 1978 - 1979 proved to be the "Year of Affirmative Action." In the wake of Bakke v. Regents of the University of California, the organization addressed pressing issues laid bare by this momentous decision. The NBA gained international recognition for efforts on behalf of the disenfranchised and politically oppressed people of the world.

March of 1981 saw the first NBA Legislative Conference. The 1981 - 1982 bar year commenced on a historical note: Arnette R. Hubbard assumed leadership, making her the first woman president of a major bar association. In May 1982, the NBA named its mid-year dinner in honor of Gertrude E. Rush, the organization's only woman co-founder. The Gertrude E. Rush Award Dinner past honorees include: Ret. Gen. Julius Becton; Thomas Berkley, Esq., publisher of California's Post Newspaper; Hon. Jane Bolin, the nations first African American woman judge; poetess Gwendolyn Brooks; Hon. Willie L. Brown, Jr., Mayor of San Francisco; Hon. Shirley Chisholm; Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Esq.; Hon. George W. Crockett, Jr.; Major General (Retired) Kenneth Gray; Rev. Jesse Jackson; Hon. Maynard H. Jackson; Hon. Barbara C. Jordan; Hon. Kweisi Mfume; Hon. Charles B. Rangel; Hon. Rodney Slater; Hon Maxine Waters; and Hon. L. Douglas Wilder.

In 1986, the NBA Hall of Fame was inaugurated by then President Fred D. Gray, Sr. to honor those lawyers who have been licensed to practice for forty years or more and who have made significant contribution to the cause of justice. Several prominent NBA members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame over the past few years. These inductees include: Hon. Louis Stokes; Cora T. Walker, Esq.; Hon. William Cousins, Jr.; and Hon. L. Clifford Davis.

The first Annual Wiley A. Branton Award Luncheon and Issues Symposium was held in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1989. The Symposium, established as a tribute to Wiley A. Branton, a stalwart in the Civil Rights arena, was first held in his hometown. Since 1989, the NBA has used this Symposium as an avenue to discuss pressing social, legal, and political issues affecting our communities. Wiley A. Branton Award Luncheon honorees include: Hon. Dennis W. Archer; Hon. James E. Clyburn; Marilyn Crawford; Fred D. Gray, Esq.; Hon. Eugene Hamilton; Dr. Dorothy Irene Height; Hon. Earl F. Hillard; Elaine Jones, Esq.; Tom Joyner; and Hon. Janet Reno; and H.T. Smith, Esq.

In 1992, the NBA submitted comments to the proposed "incubator" program described by the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) in its Memorandum Opinion and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making, FCC 92-361, released September 4, 1992. In that same year comments were also submitted in response to the Notice of Proposal Policy Guidance issued by the United States Department of Education and published in the Federal Register on December 1, 1991.

In 1996, the NBA submitted comments before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the Matter of Streamlining Broadcast EEO Rules and Policies, Vacating the EEO Forfeiture Policy Statement and Amending Section 1.80 of the Commission's Rules to Include EEO Forfeiture Guidelines. Also in 1996, the NBA submitted an amicus curiae brief in Sloan et al v. United States of America (Docket No. 96-8145) to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The focus of this case was the racially disparate impact of the enforcement of the federal "cocaine base distinction."

At present, the NBA is the nation's oldest and largest national association of predominately African-American lawyers and judges. It has 84 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and affiliations in Canada, the United Kingdom, Africa and the Caribbean. It represents a professional network of over 20,000 lawyers, judges, educators and law students.

AMICUS CURIAE BRIEFS
In 1983 - 1984, the NBA was signatory on two amicus curiae briefs in Title VII cases decided by the U. S. Supreme Court: a last-hired, first-fired case involving public safety workers, in which the Court regrettably ruled that minorities hired to remedy past discrimination should be laid off prior to workers with seniority; and a suit brought by a female associate against a large law firm, in which the justices ruled that partnership decisions must comply with federal employment discrimination laws. The NBA also submitted an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Western Michigan Broadcasting v. Federal Communications Commission, which affirmed the Federal Communications Commission's minority ownership policy.

In 1986, the NBA filed an amicus curiae brief protesting the criminal contempt conviction of Howard Moore, Jr., a nationally prominent civil rights attorney and a member of the NBA. Mr. Moore was cited for criminal contempt and fined $5,000 on the basis of a single question asked of a witness to determine racial bias during his cross-examination in the case, United States v. Albert Turner, et al. He won an acquittal for his clients, who were accused of mailing altered absentee ballots to the Perry County, Alabama Circuit Clerk. The conviction of Mr. Moore, if allowed to stand, would have had a chilling effect upon the African-American Lawyer's right to fairly and strenuously advocate on behalf of his clients.

Between 1989 and 1990, the NBA submitted three amicus curiae briefs. The first amicus brief, submitted in 1989, was submitted in Astroline Communications v. Shurgerg Broadcasting of Hartford, Inc. (Docket No. 89-700). The issue in the case was the constitutionality of the FCC's minority distress sale policy, which permitted certain licenses to be transferred only to minority-controlled firms. The second was submitted in 1990 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in United States v. Mabus, renamed United States v. Fordice. The issue before the court in that case was whether Mississippi had satisfied its obligation under the Equal Protection Clause and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to dismantle its racially dual system of higher education. In an 8-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the State of Mississippi did not fulfill its mandate under Brown merely by adopting race neutral admissions policies where other existing policies, traceable to the segregative de jure system are still in place. The third brief was submitted in Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. FCC (Docket No. 89-453) supporting the FCC's use of factors such as diversification, female ownership, minority ownership, and past broadcast experience in selecting among qualified applicants to become qualified licensees.

In 2000, the NBA submitted an amicus curaie brief, George W. Bush and Richard Cheney vs. Albert Gore Jr. et al, regarding electoral process in support of the respondents. Outlined in the amicus curaie, the NBA's Elections/Voting Rights Task Force set out a wide range of non-controversial, nonpartisan, race-neutral standards and procedures.

PUBLICATIONS
In addition to the bimonthly publication, National Bar Association Magazine, the National Bar Association has published several journals and directories including:

• The National Bar Association Commercial Law Journal, a source book for commercial attorneys and minority entrepreneurs.
  
  
• The National Bar Association Memoirs and Legal Journal, a summary of highlights in NBA history as well as a compilation of articles discussing significant events impacting upon the Association, the legal profession, and the African-American community.
  
  
• Compiled the most comprehensive listing of African-American elected and appointed judges, Black Judges in the United States, cooperative endeavor of the NBA Judicial Council and the Joint Center for Political Studies.
  
  
• Distributed the first National Roster of Black Judicial Officials, compiled under the auspices of the NBA Judicial Council and the American Judicature Society.
  
  
• The 1995 and 2001 National Bar Association Membership Directory, the largest and most comprehensive publication of African-American attorneys in the world .

• Purchased a permanent headquarters for the NBA at 1225 11th Street, NW, Washington, DC in 1984.
  
  
• Created its web site on the Internet to facilitate greater communication between the Association and the general public, as well as to generate greater awareness of the NBA (http://www.nationalbar.org).
  
  
• Established communications with key corporations to generate retainers for minority law firms.
  
  
• Expanded the membership packet to include a Gold Master Card Program, car rental discounts, travel services, group discount purchasing and group insurance.
  
  
• Been approved as a sponsor in those states with mandatory CLE requirements.
  
  
• Operated a lawyer Referral & Information Center, a nationwide referral service for commercial lawyers.
  
  
• Expanded on the number and quality of continuing legal education (CLE) seminars offered each year.
  
  
• Expanded on the number of corporations providing discounts and benefits to NBA members.
  
  
• Fostered several long-term alliances with some of the world's most respectable corporations. Our aim is to establish on-going relationships between the members of the NBA and the products and services of several Fortune 1,000 companies.
  
  
• Established the NBA/ Carleton College Scholarship, a four-year scholarship awarded to as many as four deserving African-American students.
  
  
• Established The National Bar Association Crump Law Camp, designed to provide students between the ages of 14 and 17 and/or entering the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades with a comprehensive introduction to the American judicial and legal system.
  
  
• For more than ten years, the NBA has financially maintained itself primarily on receipts from membership dues, the Mid-Year Conference, and the Annual Convention. The NBA, as an advocate for the Nation's African American lawyers, continues to identify unaffiliated lawyers and guide them into the NBA network.

• In conjunction with various state, local, and national legal groups, (including ABA, ATLA, NAACP, LDF and LCCR) the NBA co-sponsors various events to promote the continuing development of the profession.
  
  
• Provided legal assistance to elderly African-Americans through the NBA Black Elderly Legal Assistance Support Project (BELASP). After its inception in 1986, BELASP conducted a variety of programs designed to improve the Black elderly's access to legal assistance. It provided many training and continuing legal education seminars for lawyers, including "Saving the Home and Defending Against Fraud and Scams."
  
  
• Used a grant received from the Department Health and Human Services Administration on Aging to study the means of improving the delivery of legal services to the African American elderly poor, and to develop a process to recruit African American lawyers for providing pro bono and reduced fee services to this growing segment of the population.
  
  
• Intervened in Driscoll v. Regents of the University of California, a case which sought to invalidate the University's financial aid program.
  
  
• Researched statistics and held public hearing on minority employment and promotion in the criminal system.
  
  
• Engaged in a Title VII loan fund sponsored by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to assist lawyers in litigating discrimination grievances.
  
  
• Monitored attack on affirmative action programs in the nation's colleges and universities and educated students on the need for responsive activities.
  
  
• Supported the right of Haitian refugees to seek asylum in the United States.
  
  
• Promoted minority business enterprise and development through advocacy, technical assistance, and educational programs.
  
  
• Launched the NBA Minority Bar Involvement Project, with funding from the Legal Services Corporation, which awarded grants to 12 sub-grantee organizations for the delivery of pro bono or reduced legal fee services.

• Supported the nomination and confirmation of several African-Americans currently in key political and judicial positions.
  
  
• Developed a judicial selection process during the Carter Administration to ensure meaningful gains for minority judges under the Omnibus judgeship Act. · Called for legislation to curb groups that advocate imminent violence.
  
  
• Testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on behalf of the Legal Services Corporation.
  
  
• Co-sponsored the NBA Women Lawyers Division U.S. Supreme Court Swearing-In Ceremony.
  
  
• In the Spring of 2000, The National Bar Association and West Group completed a joint project donating a gift of Westlaw access to the United Nations for use by the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda (ICTR) and for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The gift provided unlimited access to Westlaw to approximate 400 United Nations prosecutors, judges and clerks staffed by both tribunal for four years.

• Hosted the first ever Minority Bar Leadership Summit aimed at developing a networking relationship among the leading minority bar associations nationwide. The Conference, now known as the Coalition of Bar Associations of Color, is now an annual meeting of the leaders and officers of the Hispanic Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Native American Bar Association and the National Bar Association.
  
  
• Sought through its Commercial Law Section to showcase the expertise and talents of NBA member attorneys through the annual Commercial Law Section Corporate Counsel Conference.
  
  
• Conducted commercial law seminars in urban centers throughout the United States pursuant to a grant from the Minority Business Development Agency, United States Department of Commerce.
  
  
• Held the first national Black-on-Black Crime Conference.
  
  
• Assessed the recruitment, retention and placement rates of minority law students through a conference attended by law school deans, professors, placement officers and bar examiners.
  
  
• Co-sponsored a voting rights conference with Operation PUSH and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which was aimed at mapping litigation and enforcement strategies.

• Issued a joint report with 24 other organizations, Nambia: The Crisis in United States Policy Toward Southern Africa, which calls for an end to South Africa's intransigence in independent Nambia and an end to the U.S. policy of "constructive engagement" in South Africa.
  
  
• Received unanimous acceptance by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) of the United Nations and worldwide acclaim for the above-referenced report.
  
  
• In 1991, the NBA held its first International Affiliate Chapter Meeting in Dakar, Senegal and Abidjan, Cote D' Ivoire. Since then, Affiliate Chapter Meetings were held in London, England (1992); South Africa (1993 & 1995); Toronto, Canada (1994); Accra, Ghana (1996); Bahia, Brazil (1997); Tanzania and Kenya (1998); Israel and Jordan (1999); and London, England and Paris, France (2000).
  
  
• In 1992, the NBA took a delegation of American lawyers and judges on a study tour of South Africa which lasted approximately fourteen days and included joint meetings and seminars on democratic principles and other areas of law relevant to preparing black African lawyers for leadership and participation in a new government.
  
  
• In April 1994, as the only bar group sanctioned by the International Elections Committee, nine representatives of the NBA participated in a United States delegation which served as official observers for the first all race democratic election conducted in South Africa.
  
  
• In April 1995, the NBA brought a delegation of twelve lawyers and bar leaders from Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda on a thirty-day study tour of the United States.
  
  
• In June 1995, the NBA sent delegations of attorneys on economic development and democratic tours of Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and South Africa.
  
  
• Issued a comprehensive report to the U.S. Senate, Nations Africa Group, and the U.S. Anti-Apartheid Committee on the illegality of the Zimbabwe/ Rhodesian Constitution.