Nation’s top black lawyers and judges to convene at Annual Conference in Baltimore

 

 

Washington, D.C.  – Thousands of members of the National Bar Association (NBA), one of the nation’s premier legal organizations, will gather in Baltimore, Maryland from July 31-August 4 to attend seminars and forums in conjunction with the organization’s 86th annual convention. Commencing with a joint-town hall meeting with the American Bar Association entitled, “The War Against Foreclosures: Combating Foreclosures and the Mortgage Crisis in Communities of Color,” the 86th Annual Convention will be the foreground for discussing the nation’s top legal, social and economic issues.

 

On Tuesday, August 2, leading education experts, and White House representatives will be featured in a showcase entitled, “The New Civil Rights Frontier: Deconstructing the School-to-Prison-Pipeline.” The panel will discuss the disparities that exist within the school system, along with the extreme disciplinary actions taken in the educational system that disproportionately affect children of color.  

 

The NBA will also present an “Executive Director’s Forum” on Wednesday, August 3, which will feature National Basketball Players Association’s (NBPA) executive director, William “Billy” Hunter and National Football League Players (NFLPA) Association’s DeMaurice Smith. The forum, which will be held Wednesday, August 3, will be one of the first joint public appearances since the NFLPA settled a collective bargaining agreement on Monday. The forum will highlight the historic role that the NBPA and NFLPA respectively, has played in fighting for benefits and job security for its members, and ensuring that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals, both on and off the court and field. They will field questions on the issue of the moment, the process of collective bargaining with the NBA and NFL.

  

86th Annual Convention participants include: Cathy Hughes, Founder of Radio One, Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, U.S. Congressman Robert “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary of Education, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Allison Brown, Executive Director, Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Kim Keenan, General Counsel, NAACP Legal Department, George W. Madison, General Counsel, United States Department of Treasury, Yolanda McGill, General Counsel, Fair Housing and Fair Lending Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Angela Rye, General Counsel and Executive Director, Congressional Black Caucus, and Michael Strautmanis, Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor for Strategic Engagement to the Senior Advisor, The White House.  

 

The National Bar Association is the nation’s oldest and largest national network of predominantly African American attorneys and judges. It represents approximately 44,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students and has over 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world. The organization seeks to advance the science of jurisprudence, preserve the independence of the judiciary and to uphold the honor and integrity of the legal profession. For further information about the National Bar Association, visit www.nationalbar.org.  

 

National Bar Association, 1225 11th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001