State Bar & Bar Associations
Aug. 3, 2002
Black Lawyers Gather in S.F.
SAN FRANCISCO - The National Bar Association, the nation's largest and oldest organization of black lawyers, will induct eight California lawyers and judges into its Hall of Fame today.
The NBA, a 20,000-member association of black lawyers, judges and law students, is meeting this week at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel for its 77th annual conference. It marks the group's return to the Bay Area for the first time since 1989.
California honorees are San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, San Francisco Superior Court Judge John Dearman, retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Benjamin Travis, former Contra Costa Municipal Court Judge George Carroll, Oakland lawyers Hiawatha Roberts and Carl Metoyer, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Marcus Tucker and retired Inglewood Municipal Court Judge Roosevelt Robinson Jr.
The honor is among the most cherished by black lawyers, said former NBA president and Hall of Fame committee member Thomas Broome.
"It is one of the most significant events honoring the achievements of African-American lawyers," said Broome, an Oakland criminal defense lawyer with Broome Cooper & Associates.
Inductees, he said, must have at least 40 years in the profession and be considered at the top of their practice.
Fred Gray, a civil rights lawyer and former NBA president, conceived the Hall of Fame in 1986. Broome said Gray wanted to recognize lawyers who had made significant contributions to "the cause of justice" and "the greater good for all."
Dedication to public service remains the core of the NBA, Broome said, and Gray typifies members' dedication.
"Fred Gray represented Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and people who have no means but a real cause. That type of attitude permeates the convention," Broome said.
The conference has attracted more than 2,000 members to dozens of continuing education seminars, speeches and receptions. It concludes tonight with a black-tie banquet.
Twelve black lawyers founded the NBA in 1925 in response to the American Bar Association's prohibition against their membership. Since then, it has served as a networking and educational tool for black lawyers.
It has also been outspoken in judicial vetting debates, has filed amicus curiae briefs in civil rights cases and has issued statements on issues ranging from affirmative action to the most recent presidential election.
"It's a very aggressive, activist type of bar," said Broome. "We speak out on issues."
In recent years, the NBA has seen its membership rise. It has 84 affiliated chapters worldwide and offices in Washington, D.C. Its Bay Area chapter is the Charles Houston Bar Association in Oakland, with 600 members.
Erik Cummins
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