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Early Black Lawyers in Northern California

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Early Black Lawyers in Northern California THE CHARLES HOUSTON CHBA’s Future BAR ASSOCIATION Law Club Founders NEWSLETTER 2005 Golden Anniversary Issue Early Black Lawyers www.charleshoustonbar.org Judicial Luncheon Association News 1955 LAW CLUB Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence Contents Left to right: John D. Drake, Esq., Hon. Benjamin Travis, George R. Vaughns, Esq., Hon. John Wesley Bussey and Justice Allen Broussard. Feature Articles CHBA at age 50 Page 2 by Robert L. Harris Applauding the Past, Predicting the Future Before the Law Club Page 12 by Charles A. Smiley Some Early Black Lawyers in Northern California Introducing the Founders Page 18 by Charles A. Smiley The 1955 Law Club Members African-Americans and the Law Page 30 by Charles A. Smiley Early California Laws CHBA Departments Sage Scholars Page 9 UC Berkeley prepares the next leaders Golden Anniversary Judicial Luncheon Page 10 CHBA honors outstanding jurists California Association of Black Lawyers Page 15 Demetrius Shelton installed as President Photo Gallery Page 16 Members past and present Spotlight Page 31 Estella Dooley, 1963 Law Club Secretary Association News Page 32 What we’ve been up to Page 1 Are you up to the Challenge? Jennifer S. Madden Greetings and welcome to the Charles Houston Bar Association. CHBA President We have much to celebrate! I look forward to seeing all of you at our various events this year which will commemorate 50 years of excellence! Fifty years ago this year, a group of lawyers founded the Charles Houston Law Club in Oakland. Today, we are a growing organization of prominent judges, civil rights advocates, law firm leaders and eager young law students. The one thing that binds us is our association with an organization that stands for community activism, civic leadership and, most importantly, the preservation of justice in the African American community on all levels. As I look forward to celebrating this special anniversary with the membership and community at large, I cannot help but think about how far we have come in the past five decades —— and how far we have to go. Our work, even if it is at the local level, has an effect on our community statewide and nationally. Whether it involves participa- tion in a clothing drive, a political campaign, or mentoring law students, our impact will be felt. Charles Hamilton Houston was a man who was not afraid to stand alone and fight for what he believed was right and just. He didn’t shy away from controversy or hard work. These are all attributes that we should embody and seek to duplicate on a daily basis. Fighting the hard fight is never an easy achievement, however, as a people, we cannot be afraid to do the necessary work. Volunteer to be a mentor, give generously to the annual Scholarship Fund and participate actively and fully in our organization. Are you up to the challenge? Jennifer S. Madden Feature Page 2 spent dialoging about the role of black the 48th annual convention of the Na- lawyers as advocates. Berkley believed tional Bar Association (NBA). Held at firmly that the Black lawyer has a moral the newly opened Hyatt Regency in obligation to advocate in behalf of the Embarcadero Center in San Fran- Black people. While the founders of cisco, this NBA convention was the the Charles Houston Law Club shared impetus for shifting the 18 year old Berkley’s passion for advocacy, it was Law Club, which had only twenty (20) Berkley, through his newspaper (the dues paying members, from a prima- Post) and his political skills, who con- rily socially oriented club into a fear- stantly challenged the young lawyers less bar association willing to confront of the 1970s and 1980s to disrupt the head-on issues that were eroding the CHBA at 50 status quo and fight for justice. foundation of the Black Community, Applauding the Past, sinking it further into a sea of injus- Predicting the Future Much can and should be said about the tice. by Robert L. Harris brave pioneers who, in May of 1955, some seven months before Rosa Parks Elected President of the Law Club in refused to take a seat in the back of a 1973, Benjamin Travis, the legend- Twenty five years ago, as Presi- segregated bus in Montgomery, Ala- ary and visionary leader who saw ab- dent of the National Bar Asso- bama, came together to form an as- solutely no limits on Black lawyers’ ciation, I published an article sociation which they named the duty to be advocates, set out to com- in the Sacramento Observer Charles Houston Law Club (Law Club). pletely reengineer the Law Club into entitled, “The Role of Black In so doing, they laid a solid founda- a bar association of action and vis- Lawyers.” In explaining the tion for today’s Charles Houston Bar ibility. Noting the historic importance role of black Lawyers in the Association (Association). of Charles Hamilton Houston, after 1980s, the article referenced a whom the Law Club was named, conversation I had with one of For over a decade and a half, our Travis brought life to Houston’s fa- the founders of the Charles founders blazed a path for the “new” mous quote: “A lawyer is either a Houston Law Club (now the Black lawyers in the Bay Area who social engineer or a parasite on soci- Charles Houston Bar Associa- would follow them. They hoped these ety.” Engineers, not parasites, were tion). I noted in said article “new” lawyers would set an aggres- Travis’ vision of Black lawyers. Pas- that: “Recently, I received a sive agenda for meeting the challenges sionate in his beliefs, he expected telephone call from Attorney of the 70s and 80s. As they hoped, an lawyers to share that passion. Travis Thomas L. Berkley, editor, and awakening was, indeed, slowly occur- assembled an officer team of John publisher of the Post newspa- ring among the ranks of the “new” law- Stewart (Vice President), Joseph pers in Northern California; he yers as the number of Black lawyers Simmons (Treasurer) and me (Sec- voiced his concern about the admitted to the California bar contin- retary) to begin mapping a strategy current failure of the black bar ued to increase, thanks primarily to for membership growth and strate- to direct the legal strategy for affirmative action programs which were gic actions specifically designed to the black community.” Berkley beginning to open the segregated propel Black lawyers into their right- was not complaining necessar- doors of many law schools. Consis- ful place. The team was expected to ily about the Charles Houston tent with the civil rights revolution of rapidly transform the Law Club. Law Club, but rather about the 60s and 70s, breaking down the Black lawyers in general na- walls of injustice was considered the One year out of law school, I was tionally. duty of these mostly young lawyers thrilled beyond comprehension to be who were reaping the benefits of the elected a member of this outstand- Now deceased, Berkley who at- hard work of their predecessors and ing team of seasoned lawyers whose tended Boalt Hall and gradu- ancestors. This awakening provided task was to revamp the Law Club. ated from Hastings Law School the catalyst for transforming the Law Travis viewed increasing membership in 1942 was not only a pioneer Club into a powerful vehicle capable and tackling “hot” issues as the key lawyer in the Bay Area, but also of navigating the turbulent winds of the drivers for igniting the Law Club into a brilliant soldier in the fight 70s and 80s as a respected bar asso- an advocacy group. Immediately for justice. I cherished the ciation unafraid to stand up and fight doubling the membership, which the many lunches and conversa- injustices. Association easily accomplished (50 tions we had over a period of members) by the end of 1973, would more than 25 years. A consid- The transformation actually began in illustrate, we believed, that Black law- erable amount of our time was 1973 shortly after the Law Club hosted yers were ready, willing and able to CHARLES HOUSTON BAR 1955 - 2005 Page 3 Feature be advocates. Communicating the of the faces of California’s judiciary. County! Ultimately, the County re- new strategy not only to lawyers, Black lawyers throughout the state linquished, changed it rules and but also to the community required (both North and South) collectively made the process fair for Black law- the Law Club to speak out on con- put tremendous pressure on Gover- yer participation. A new day had troversial issues via the media. Ac- nor Brown to appoint Blacks to the begun! cordingly, the Law Club looked for Bench. Brown, unable to escape key opportunities to take on key these demands, ultimately appointed Not long thereafter, other major op- issues of controversy including over 100 Black lawyers to the bench, portunities for advocacy presented police brutality and other contem- a record that remains unmatched, themselves. Perhaps, the most porary issues of the day. A num- proving the words of Frederick challenging was when the Oakland ber of new lawyers became mem- Douglass to be true that: “Power con- and San Francisco Branches of the bers of the Law Club and joined in cedes nothing without a demand.” National Association for the Ad- the transformation. They included, vancement of Colored People George Holland Thomas Broome, Having successfully led the transfor- (NAACP) were sued by both the San Ruth Blackwell, Gordon Baranco, mation for three years, Travis in 1976 Francisco and Oakland Police Of- Annette Green, Dale Rubin, relinquished the reigns of the Asso- ficers Associations for defamation Geoffrey Carter and many others.
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