|
Fred Gray to Speak at CLE Plenary Session and Annual Luncheon
2004 has been a year of landmark anniversaries for the American
civil rights movement. The 50-year-old Brown v. Board of
Education decision is probably the best known; but it was also
in 1954 that Alabama attorney Fred Gray, after having been denied
admission to segregated law schools in his home state, returned to
Alabama vowing to destroy everything segregated he could find.
During his 50-year legal career, Mr. Gray has been one of the most
important figures in the battle for racial equality. At age 24 he
represented Rosa Parks when she refused to give up her seat to a
white man on a bus, the action that sparked the Montgomery Bus
Boycott. He was also Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s first civil rights
lawyer. Among his many notable cases was Williams v. Wallace,
a class action suit brought by African Americans against Gov. George
Wallace and the state of Alabama resulting in protection for
protesters marching for voting rights. The publicity from these
actions led to the enactment of the voting rights act of 1965.
More recently Mr. Gray was involved in the case of Pollard v.
United States of America, which concerned the Tuskegee Syphilis
Study. The government in 1932 conducted the study on rural black
males, who were neither informed they had the disease nor treated
for it. In 1997, the case was settled, and President Clinton issued
a formal apology to the participants.
Mr. Gray was honored at the recent ABA Annual Meeting with the 2004
Thurgood Marshall award. Established in 1992, the Thurgood Marshall
Award recognizes long-term contributions to the advancement of civil
rights, civil liberties and human rights in the United States.
For the CLE Plenary Session on Thursday morning, Nov. 11, Mr. Gray
will participate in a panel discussion of issues raised in the play
"Thurgood Marshall's Coming!" The panelists will be asked
to explore questions on diversity, equal justice and civil and human
rights. OBA members may register for the full package of Annual
Meeting CLE including both Wednesday and Thursday sessions or
register for the Thursday portion only.
During the Annual Luncheon on Thursday from noon - 1:45 p.m., Mr.
Gray will give a speech titled "Brown v. Board of Education:
The Beginning and Not the End." Immediately following the
luncheon, he will sign copies of his books that will be available
for purchase.
Seating will be limited, so register today and reserve your place.
The Registration form can be found here.
Back
to Events
|