Loren Miller Bar Association Receives Washington Young Lawyers Division Outstanding Affiliate Organization Award

Seattle Washington, October 13, 2004 — The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) announces that the Loren Miller Bar Association (LMBA) received the Washington Young Lawyers Division (WYLD) 2004 Outstanding Affiliate Organization Award, for its month-long tribute commemorating the 50th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court 1954 decision, which banned racial segregation in public schools.

The Outstanding Affiliate Award is made to an affiliate organization in Washington that has generously committed time and effort to provide legal services for the public good, public service and community outreach, and/or has made significant contributions to the professional community, especially in the development and training of young lawyers. Washington Young Lawyers Division President-elect Noah Davis (right) presented the award yesterday to LMBA members James Williams, Bonnie Glenn, and Lembhard Howell, who accepted it on behalf of the LMBA.

From left: LMBA members James Williams, Bonnie Glenn, and Lembhard Howell; and WYLD President-elect Noah Davis

"Brown v. Board of Education ruled that 'separate but equal' was no longer the law of the land," said James Williams, chair of the LMBA's Brown Celebration Committee. "It is the civil rights decision that dramatically changed the legal, social, and political landscape in the United States and was the impetus for Dr. Martin Luther King's famous Montgomery Bus Boycott. From my perspective, America was reborn when the Supreme Court decided Brown in 1954. Almost 178 years after the Declaration of Independence, Brown gave legitimacy to the founding fathers' pronouncement that 'all men are created equal,' and it gave all Americans the freedom to embrace one another."

This past May, the LMBA sponsored a series of activities celebrating the 1954 Supreme Court ruling. They included a May 2 speech by the Rev. Dr. Leslie Braxton at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, a church that played a historic role as the catalyst for civil rights activities in the greater Seattle area; a May 17 dramatic oral re-enactment at the University of Washington of the Brown argument that featured attorney Lembhart Howell, U.S. District Court Judge John C. Coughenour, and all nine members of the Washington State Supreme Court; the LMBA Annual Scholarship Dinner on May 21, honoring law students, community leaders, and outstanding LMBA members; and various community presentations on Brown throughout the month at Seattle public libraries and high schools.

"This was no small undertaking by the LMBA, nor was it undertaken lightly," said U.S. Magistrate Judge Monica J. Benton, who nominated the LMBA for the award. "The effort undertaken by this affiliate legal organization demonstrates professional development shaped by a systematic and unwavering commitment to public education as a means for ensuring justice for all."

About the Loren Miller Bar Association
The LMBA is the Washington affiliate of the National Bar Association (NBA), which is the oldest minority bar and the largest organization of African-American attorneys in the United States. Formed in 1925, the NBA was created when the American Bar Association (ABA) was racially segregated, not allowing African-Americans to join. Although the ABA changed its policy several decades later, the NBA and its affiliates continue to address social, economic, and legal issues unique to the African-American community, including the advancement of the social and economic well-being of its largely African-American membership; improving relations between the legal profession and the community at large; promoting understanding, goodwill, and cooperation among lawyers and the interests of the legal profession; aiding in reforms for the economic and social welfare of all people in a manner consistent with the principles of a free democratic society; and improving the educational, social, and economic status of the African-American community. The LMBA's president is Anthony Butler. The LMBA meets monthly at the College Club, 505 Madison Street, Seattle. For more information about the LMBA, visit www.lmba.net.

About the Washington Young Lawyers Division
The WYLD provides programs and services of special interest to young lawyers, to the public, and to those denied access to the justice system. In particular, the WYLD sponsors continuing legal education seminars of interest to young lawyers; publishes De Novo, a quarterly publication serving young lawyers; sponsors programs that benefit high school students, including the YMCA Mock Trial Competition; and sponsors seminars addressing questions facing young lawyers as they balance their professional and personal lives. Any active member of the WSBA is a member of the WYLD until December 31 of the year in which the member attains the age of 36 or until the December 31 of the fifth year in which the member has been admitted to practice in any state, whichever is later.

About the WSBA
The Washington State Bar Association is a private, nonprofit organization authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state's 28,400 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association—all without public funding.

As a regulatory agency, it administers the bar exam, provides record-keeping and licensing functions, and administers the lawyer discipline program. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, and numerous other educational and member-service activities.

The governance of the WSBA is vested in its 14-person Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large members, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Ronald R. Ward of Seattle. The board meets every six weeks at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the WSBA is carried out through its 23 standing committees, 23 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division.

# # #