Fighting voter suppression while conquering the challenges of the future are among the topics of a half-day Atlanta legal symposium in Midtown Atlanta this week commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Gate City Bar Association and the National Bar Association – two prominent associations for African-American members of the legal community – will host the event on Friday, April 13. A reception, co-sponsored by Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP and the Coca-Cola Company, will follow at the High Museum of Art. The sold-out reception includes a viewing of “A Fire That No Water Could Put Out,” an exhibit of photography documenting the history and legacy of the civil rights movement.
Morehouse alum and attorney Michael W. Tyler will open the symposium and introduce the keynote luncheon speaker, former Ga. NAACP chapter president Francys Johnson. National Bar Association President Juan Thomas will deliver an update on the latest news from the organization. Judges, attorneys, students and community leaders will then participate in two panels. The first will examine voter suppression & racial gerrymandering – then and now. The second will discuss the next steps in the struggle and where we go from here.
“If it had not been for Dr. King forcing open doors and partnering with people in the legal profession, we would be a very different country right now,” said Gate City Bar president Clyde Mize, who will deliver closing remarks. “There has always been a partnership between the legal community and more forward-thinking people within the business, civic and religious arenas,” added Mize, who is a partner in the Real Estate Practice of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. “Attorneys worked side by side with leaders such as Dr. King, to help advance the fight for equal treatment under the law.”
The Gate City Bar is the oldest African-American bar association in Georgia. The National Bar Association is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-American attorneys and judges.
The symposium will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the offices of Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, located at 1100 Peachtree St N.W., Atlanta, Ga. The reception will be held across the street in the High Museum at 1280 Peachtree St. N.W.
The event is open to attorneys, law students and Atlanta community leaders. Registration is required to attend. For more information, or to register, RSVP to Info@GateCityBar.org.
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