The Bar Association of the District
of Columbia (BADC) held its 2011 Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday, at
the Mayflower Hotel. This meeting was
the last official event as President of the BADC for UDC-DCSL Associate Dean of
Students Annamaria Steward. Dean Steward
handed the gavel to new BADC president, Gregory S. Smith, and assumed her
position as Immediate-Past President.
Also at the meeting BADC honored
Representative John R. Lewis (D-GA) and Representative Bob Filner (D-CA) for
their participation in the Freedom Rides, a civil rights effort in 1961 to
desegregate the South. Attendees of the BADC Annual Meeting realized they were
witnessing history as Rep. Lewis recounted the history of the Freedom Rides
saying, "They learned a way to get in the way.” Professor John Brittain said of
his speech, "Rep. Lewis lit up the room as only he can do.”
Rep. Filner told the audience how he
was stopped while riding one of the Freedom Ride buses from Alabama into
Mississippi, by the late Rep. Gillespie "Sonny” Montgomery (D-MS), who was then
the head of the Mississippi National Guard, forced to uphold segregation. Later on in life Rep. Filner, Rep. Lewis, and
Rep. Lewis (D-GA)
Rep. Montgomery would meet in Congress as Representatives in the Democratic
Party. In recounting this story Rep. Filner said, "Only in America could those
3 individuals meet on the floor of Congress later on in life.”
Prof. Brittain felt there was an
important juxtaposition between BADC recognizing the courage of the Freedom
Riders and Annamaria Steward announcing that it was only 4 years ago that BADC
apologized for its own history of discrimination; preventing black lawyers from
joining BADC and using their library. As Prof. Britain said, "I thought it was
a long time coming in 2008 to apologize for their segregated history.”
Rep. Filner (D-CA)
After watching the Freedom Riders
reunite they sang "We Shall Overcome” and gathered for an impromptu photo
shoot. Photos forthcoming.
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