The bittersweet role of Black Civil Rights attorneys honored at the White House
By Mona Austin
As the pain of yet another unjustified, senseless murder of Black people, throbs in the heart of the Black community a group of Black Civil rights attorneys gathered in the East
The Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law was founded at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1963. Its members know the families of victims of hate crimes like the Jacksonville shooting that Pres. Joe Biden addressed in his remarks all too well. Cases involving race and rights beckon their assistance and more frequently deadly discrimination is becoming more prevalent.
In Jacksonville the shooting took place on the same day the March on Washington was held in the nation's Capitol. From the manifestos the white supremacist shooter left behind, it is apparent that the three people he murdered were targeted solely because they were Black, as if being born Black is a crime.
Pres. Biden met with Civil Rights leaders and attorneys earlier in the day assuring them that his administration will not be passive toward hate crimes. He understands that racial hatred has not dissipated and continues to rise. He called for those assembled to take action along with the rest of the nation by denouncing hatred.
He'd also had conversations with the officials and community leaders in Florida including Gov. Ron DeSantis following the mass shooting.
"As I’ve said to the country, we can’t let hate prevail. And it’s on the rise. It’s not -- not diminishing.
Silence, I believe -- as we’ve all said many times -- silence is complicity. We’re not going to remain silent.
And so, we have to act against this hate-fueled violence and this -- all that’s happening.
And, by the way, almost five years to the day that five young Blacks were killed in Jacksonville..."
He was preaching to the choir. They have heard the same thing so often it could have been scripted. The consistent death by hatred mirrors an age that is supposed to be bygone. The president's
words echoed the leaders who spoke at the March, Vice Pres. Kamala Harris and many others who have noticed the swell in racial hatred that appears to have increased since Republican Donald Trump was the president, including deadly backlash against Jews and gays.
The existence has been significant to practicing law that has helped usher integration into the country as its formation coincides with the transition into a multi-racial society. Without the commitment of these Black Lawyers, many people would have faced the often innately biased criminal justice system alone. In the sense of being employed to defend inalienable rights and always having a cause for which to fight, often painted by loss and pain, the role of these attorneys is bittersweet.
Kristin Clarke, the Assistant Attorney General is a part of this legacy.
Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump has become a prototype in his field of law. Fighting for justice in numerous cases where Blacks were murdered challenged society's willingness to accept Blackness itself as a status worthy of equality.
Crump has represented the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin and others who were mercilessly murdered by Whites.
As if he sensed the weariness that comes along with log term battles, Biden concluded with spiritual encouragement.
He said, "Keep pushing. KEEP GOING. Set the record straight." This is the job that Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray and the youngest speaker at the March on Washington, John Lewis embraced Biden said.
To this message Pres. Biden added, "Spread the faith," advice he said his grandmother told him.
His final message, which he has repeated as a sort of mantra at appearances, is t that we should never forget who we are: "We are the United States of America." Remembering this for many Blacks is not consoling.
