Maryland Bar
Bulletin
Publications :
Bar Bulletin |
June, 2004 |
LAWYERS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
EMBARK ON ROAD TO BROWN VS. BOARD OF EDUCATION
~MSBA's 2004 Law Day Celebration Revisits the Past,
Contemplates the Future~
By Janet Stidman Eveleth
Over 190 high school
students, teachers and lawyers from all parts of Maryland embarked on the
road to Brown vs. Board of Education on May 18, revisiting the past
and contemplating the future during MSBA’s Law Day Celebration. MSBA’s
Public Awareness Committee, in conjunction with the Association’s
Citizenship Law-Related Education Program, sponsored the Law Day
lawyer/student/teacher conference at the Sheppard Pratt Conference Center
to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education.
Highlights of the
conference included an insightful keynote address by the Honorable Robert
M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, an effective
historical video on the events leading up to Brown vs. Board of
Education, a special focus on the efforts of attorney Charles Hamilton
Houston and a guest appearance by his son, Charles Houston, Jr. In
addition, the Brown vs. Board of Education script from Center
Stage’s May 3 commemorative event was presented, with Judge Bell, lawyers
and students offering the readings, followed by an engaging and
interactive dialogue.
MSBA President Harry S.
Johnson opened the conference, announcing that he was the 110th President
of the organization and its first African-American President. “This shows
how far we have come,” he declared. Johnson offered a brief history of
Brown and praised the progress that has been made across 50 years.” He
emphasized “we still have farther to go.”
“Lawyers make a big
difference in our country,” continued Johnson, as he traced their role in
fighting segregation, leading up to and including the Brown
decision. As Johnson introduced keynote speaker Chief Judge Bell, he
outlined Bell’s involvement in a sit-in in the 1960s and Thurgood
Marshall’s role in what became a Supreme Court case. MSBA’s President told
the students “Maryland’s Chief Judge is a living role model; this is
living history.”
Bell spoke of the events
leading up to Brown centering on the efforts of Charles Hamilton
Houston who initiated the legal strategy that eventually led to the
downfall of the separate but equal doctrine. Students and teachers
listened as the Chief Judge recounted the history of segregation and “Jim
Crow” in this country, sharing personal memories of the discrimination he
experienced as well as his involvement in the civil rights movement.
“Brown pointed the
way to a desegregated society,” stated Bell, “but the game is not yet up.
There are still battles to be fought. Law Day celebrates our rule of law;
this separates us from other countries. The rule of law is our country’s
foundation; people respect the law. We must always remain focused on this
and move ahead to achieve our goals.”
The audience then saw
segregation firsthand through the Road to Brown video, which told
the story of “Jim Crow” and the brilliant legal strategy that launched the
civil rights movement, largely captured through the pictures and words of
Charles Hamilton Houston. At the conclusion of this moving video, Charles
Houston, Jr., a professor at Morgan State University, offered reflections
on his memories of that time.
“Laws needed to change and
social attitudes needed to change,” asserted Houston. “Dad used cases to
expose injustices perpetrated by the law. He used cases to mobilize
African-Americans and educate white Americans, many of whom were not aware
of the extent of blatant segregation in this country. Eventually, social
attitudes did begin to change.” The conference concluded with an
insightful dialogue of Brown’s impact on our contemporary times.
This MSBA event was most
successful and proved to be a learning experience for all who attended.
“The students, teachers and lawyers paid rapt attention to our speakers
like Judge Bell, who was very much a part of the development of our civil
rights law,” states Public Awareness Committee Co-Chair Robert Anbinder.
“When someone who has been part of the battle speaks, there is not only a
greater tendency to listen, but it makes history seems much less distant
and much more important.”
“The program was a profound
learning experience for everyone, putting the historical significance of
Brown back on everyone’s radar screen,” states Public Awareness
Committee Co-Chair Adam Sean Cohen. “The most rewarding aspect was when
the students spoke candidly to one another about their personal
experiences and observations of ‘equality’ in their respective schools. By
the end of the day, despite the gender, age, and racial diversity of the
audience, we reached common ground: how very far we have come, and how
much further we need to go.”
“One could not help but be
moved by the passion with which the students expressed their views on how
far - and how little - we have traveled since 1954 in the area of race
relations,” adds Anbinder. “If our Law Day program left the students with
anything, I hope it was the feeling that they can make a difference by
working to attain change. This is particularly important since some black
students, especially those from the Eastern Shore, came to the brink of
tears when explaining just how many obstacles there are yet to overcome.”
