Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys
Encyclopedia
The Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys (GAAAA) is a minority bar association
in the state of Georgia
in the United States. Founded in 1992, the GAAAA was created as a result of the legal case of Tyrone Brooks, et al., v. Georgia State Board of Elections and Max Cleland
, Secretary of State and Chairman of the Georgia State Board of Elections (997 F.2d 857). The State of was accused of not having enough diversity in judges. The litigation resulted in Georgia having the second-largest number of African American
judges in any American state, with exception of the state of Michigan
.
The Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys has been at the forefront of issues facing the African American community. The organization boasts a strong network of attorney and non-attorney members across Georgia, and utilizes its influence to impact change in the African American community. GAAAA has been instrumental in several challenges, including election protection, indigent defense, African American Attorney support, and voting rights issues. The organization is currently called on to represent the interest of African American Attorneys in the State Legislature, and is seated on various panels across the State of Georgia.
The GAAAA serves as a partner with the NAACP to redress legal issues that impact its members in the Southern region. The organization hosts Continuing Legal Education
opportunities yearly, as well as its signature event at the State Bar Annual meeting, known as the "Conviction of Honor".
program for young at-risk men between the ages of 9 and 15 who are involved in the juvenile justice system in Georgia. The program has enjoyed success in assigning African American male attorneys to mentor the young men through educational and social challenges. The program is lauded by the Juvenile Justice programs as the flagship mentoring program in the state for young men.
. The program came under controversy in 2004 when it challenged the State for not providing what it though was adequate representation to indigents, and for not having enough minority attorneys to represent indigent defendants. This challenge resulted in a change to the state's system and improved the representation of minority attorneys who represent the indigent.
. The organization honors those members who have made significant contributions to the community and to the ideals of the organization in a mock trial
, where the honorees are "convicted" for their service to the profession and community. The event began in December 2007 and has garnered accolades and a large audience due to its innovative format of honoring those who are convicted. The list of those honored in the Conviction of Honor include:
Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore (2007)
Presented with the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence on November 15, 2001, at the United States Supreme Court, she was the first woman and African American to serve on the benches of the Superior Court of Fulton County
, the State Court of Fulton County, the City Court of Atlanta, and the Atlanta Municipal Court. She was recipient of the Thurgood Marshall
Award at the 36th Annual National Bar Association
Judicial Council Luncheon.
Bernice King (2007)
King is an associate minister at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
. She created a mentoring program for young girls, and founded the Be A King Scholarship at Spelman College
at Atlanta in honor of her mother. King donated $100,000 of her personal funds, while $75,000 was donated from Home Depot and $15,000 from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The scholarship will be awarded to two rising seniors at Spelman college who are majoring in music, education or psychology. President of SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference
).
Tyrone Brooks (2008)
Brooks was the litigant in case that created the GAAAA. He became active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as a volunteer, and by 1967 he was a full-time employee. He was arrested in 1976 in Washington, D.C.
, while protesting outside the South African Embassy; he has been arrested more than 65 times for his civil rights
activism. In 1980 Brooks was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
, where he continues to serve. He is active on a number of committees, and led a push to remove Confederate symbols from the Georgia state flag. He received his first honorary degree
from the John Marshall School of Law in 2001 as a result of his successful campaign to change the state flag. He is president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, and is a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. He is still involved in the civil rights movement. He received Public Servant Award from the Atlanta City Council
, was inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame, and named one of the 50 Most Influential Men in Georgia by the Georgia Coalition of Black Women.
Marvin S. Arrington, Sr.
(2008)
Arrington teamed with Bill Cosby
to host a series of mentorship talks to young high school students throughout the city of Atlanta. He is current Judge on the Fulton County Superior Court, and served as President of the Atlanta City Council for 17 years. He was a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta in 1997, and one of the first two black students to undertake full-time studies at the Emory University School of Law
in 1965. He presently serves on the Clark Atlanta University
and Emory Board of Trustees.
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in the state of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in the United States. Founded in 1992, the GAAAA was created as a result of the legal case of Tyrone Brooks, et al., v. Georgia State Board of Elections and Max Cleland
Max Cleland
Joseph Maxwell Cleland is an American politician from Georgia. Cleland, a Democrat, is a disabled US Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, and a former U.S. Senator...
, Secretary of State and Chairman of the Georgia State Board of Elections (997 F.2d 857). The State of was accused of not having enough diversity in judges. The litigation resulted in Georgia having the second-largest number of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
judges in any American state, with exception of the state of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
The Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys has been at the forefront of issues facing the African American community. The organization boasts a strong network of attorney and non-attorney members across Georgia, and utilizes its influence to impact change in the African American community. GAAAA has been instrumental in several challenges, including election protection, indigent defense, African American Attorney support, and voting rights issues. The organization is currently called on to represent the interest of African American Attorneys in the State Legislature, and is seated on various panels across the State of Georgia.
The GAAAA serves as a partner with the NAACP to redress legal issues that impact its members in the Southern region. The organization hosts Continuing Legal Education
Continuing Legal Education
Continuing legal education is professional education of lawyers that takes place after their initial admission to the bar. In many states in the United States, CLE participation is required of attorneys to maintain their license to practice law...
opportunities yearly, as well as its signature event at the State Bar Annual meeting, known as the "Conviction of Honor".
My Brother's Keeper
The My Brother's Keeper program is a mentoringMentoring
Mentorship refers to a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps a less experienced or less knowledgeable person....
program for young at-risk men between the ages of 9 and 15 who are involved in the juvenile justice system in Georgia. The program has enjoyed success in assigning African American male attorneys to mentor the young men through educational and social challenges. The program is lauded by the Juvenile Justice programs as the flagship mentoring program in the state for young men.
Indigent defense programs
The Indigent Defense program monitors and works closely with the Georgia Indigent Defense Program, which provides representation to the state's poor who have been charged criminallyCriminal charge
A criminal charge is a formal accusation made by a governmental authority asserting that somebody has committed a crime. A charging document, which contains one or more criminal charges or counts, can take several forms, including:* complaint...
. The program came under controversy in 2004 when it challenged the State for not providing what it though was adequate representation to indigents, and for not having enough minority attorneys to represent indigent defendants. This challenge resulted in a change to the state's system and improved the representation of minority attorneys who represent the indigent.
Street Law Program
The Street Law Program provides free on-site legal advice quarterly to the community. Members of the organization from various areas of practice volunteer their time and give legal advice free of charge.Conviction of Honor
The Conviction of Honor is the flagship program of GAAAA. The event is held annually during the GAAAA Christmas party at the State Bar of GeorgiaState Bar of Georgia
The State Bar of Georgia is the governing body of the legal profession in Georgia, operating under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Membership is a condition of admission to practice law in Georgia....
. The organization honors those members who have made significant contributions to the community and to the ideals of the organization in a mock trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
, where the honorees are "convicted" for their service to the profession and community. The event began in December 2007 and has garnered accolades and a large audience due to its innovative format of honoring those who are convicted. The list of those honored in the Conviction of Honor include:
Thelma Wyatt Cummings Moore (2007)
Presented with the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence on November 15, 2001, at the United States Supreme Court, she was the first woman and African American to serve on the benches of the Superior Court of Fulton County
Fulton County, Georgia
Fulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Its county seat is Atlanta, the state capital since 1868 and the principal county of the Atlanta metropolitan area...
, the State Court of Fulton County, the City Court of Atlanta, and the Atlanta Municipal Court. She was recipient of the Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
Award at the 36th Annual National Bar Association
National Bar Association
The National Bar Association was established in 1925 as the "Negro Bar Association" after Gertrude Rush, George H. Woodson, S. Joe Brown, James B. Morris, and Charles P. Howard, Sr. were denied membership in the American Bar Association. It represents the interests of African-American attorneys in...
Judicial Council Luncheon.
Bernice King (2007)
King is an associate minister at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is a megachurch run by senior pastor Bishop Eddie Long in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, near Lithonia. When Long started as pastor for New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in 1987, there were just 300 church members...
. She created a mentoring program for young girls, and founded the Be A King Scholarship at Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
at Atlanta in honor of her mother. King donated $100,000 of her personal funds, while $75,000 was donated from Home Depot and $15,000 from New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. The scholarship will be awarded to two rising seniors at Spelman college who are majoring in music, education or psychology. President of SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
).
Tyrone Brooks (2008)
Brooks was the litigant in case that created the GAAAA. He became active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as a volunteer, and by 1967 he was a full-time employee. He was arrested in 1976 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, while protesting outside the South African Embassy; he has been arrested more than 65 times for his civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activism. In 1980 Brooks was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives
Georgia House of Representatives
The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly of the U.S. state of Georgia.-Composition:...
, where he continues to serve. He is active on a number of committees, and led a push to remove Confederate symbols from the Georgia state flag. He received his first honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the John Marshall School of Law in 2001 as a result of his successful campaign to change the state flag. He is president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, and is a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. He is still involved in the civil rights movement. He received Public Servant Award from the Atlanta City Council
Atlanta City Council
Atlanta City Council is the main municipal legislative body for the city of Atlanta, Georgia. It consists of 15 members elected from districts within the city. The Atlanta City Government is divided into three bodies: the legislative, executive and judicial branches. The Atlanta City Council serves...
, was inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame, and named one of the 50 Most Influential Men in Georgia by the Georgia Coalition of Black Women.
Marvin S. Arrington, Sr.
Marvin S. Arrington, Sr.
Marvin Stephens Arrington, Sr. is an American judge in the Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia and a former politician in the city of Atlanta. Elected to the Atlanta Board of Aldermen in 1969 , he served as President of the Atlanta City Council for 17 years until his unsuccessful bid for...
(2008)
Arrington teamed with Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
to host a series of mentorship talks to young high school students throughout the city of Atlanta. He is current Judge on the Fulton County Superior Court, and served as President of the Atlanta City Council for 17 years. He was a candidate for Mayor of Atlanta in 1997, and one of the first two black students to undertake full-time studies at the Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is a first-tier US law school that is part of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It is ranked #30 among ABA-approved law schools by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report...
in 1965. He presently serves on the Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta University is a private, historically black university in Atlanta, Georgia. It was formed in 1988 with the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University...
and Emory Board of Trustees.
Organization leadership
This is a list of Presidents of the GAAAA. The term of office was one year until AbuBakr's term, when the term was changed to two years. The Presidential election and service is non-partisan, so the candidate does not represent their city when elected.| Name | Years | City of origin |
|---|---|---|
| Tony L. Axam | 1992–1993 | Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
| Ivory Ken Dious | 1993–1994 | Athens Athens, Georgia Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city... |
| Harriet E. Abubakr | 1994–1996 | Fayetteville Fayetteville, Georgia Fayetteville is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,945. The city is the county seat of Fayette County. Fayetteville is located approximately 22 miles from the city of Atlanta.... |
| Brenda C. Youmas | 1996–1998 | Macon Macon, Georgia Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia... |
| Verna L. Smith | 1998–2000 | Dublin Dublin, Georgia Dublin is a city in Laurens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 16,201. The city is the county seat of Laurens County.-History:The original settlement was named after the city Dublin, Ireland.... |
| John M. Clark | 2000–2002 | Elberton Elberton, Georgia Elberton is the largest city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,743 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Elbert County and serves as a hub for industry and small business in Northeast Georgia... |
| Gwendolyn S. Fortson-Waring | 2002 – 2005 (served more than one term) | Savannah Savannah, Georgia Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important... |
| Kimberly L. Copeland | 2005–2007 | Jesup Jesup, Georgia Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,279 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Jesup is located at .... |
| Antavius M. Weems | 2007–2009 | Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
| Charla A. Hall | 2009–2011 | Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |