Greetings and Happy New Year!!

With the start of 2009, I am sure we have all had an opportunity to reflect upon 2008. Our thoughts have run the gamut from, “Did I accomplish all that I wanted last year” to “Will I reach my goals for 2009?” During my period of refection, I have thought about my goals: both past and future. But most importantly, I have spent time contemplating what it means to serve as your President. I confess to being both excited and thrilled. This will be an opportunity unlike any other in my life: an opportunity that will be remembered and cherished forever.

President Barack Obama

2008 and 2009 will also be remembered as the years our community took a big step towards realizing the fulfillment of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Dream for all men to be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin. Our nation has installed its first African American President; the nation’s 44th President – President Barack Obama.

Many of us traveled to Washington DC to witness this momentous event. We endured the chilling temperatures; the millions crowded together; but, most importantly, the spirit of unity - all to witness one of the most historical events in our lives. This history is not just the story of Obama becoming President; nor is it the story of Obama’s victory. It is the story of the struggles of individuals coming together for a common cause in order to effectuate change in our nation. President Barack Obama’s victory was a victory for each and every one of us – and it allows us to embrace a real opportunity for change. However, as President Obama stated, “the victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change.” The change that Barack Obama talks about today began with Charles Hamilton Houston long ago.

Charles Hamilton Houston: Overview and Mission

CHBA was founded in 1955 as the Charles Houston Law Club, to honor the lawyer and educator, Charles Hamilton Houston.  Like President Obama, Charles Houston attended Harvard Law.  Houston was the first African American to be a member of Harvard Law Review.  It is said that he was by far one of the most brilliant law students attending Harvard and he became a legal educator extraordinaire.  Charles Houston, a remarkable constitutional lawyer, fervently believed that African American lawyers should be “social engineers” who use the law to promote fundamental social change. Charles Houston used his education and talents to effectuate change and social justice, and his dedication to changing the social landscape became the shoulders upon which President Obama stands in victory.  Charles Houston believed that African American lawyers had a duty and responsibility to effectuate change in their communities. For we know, change ripples outward and affects all that it touches.

Accordingly, the mission of CHBA is to use the law to empower the African American community, and to promote change for the betterment of our community.  Our fundamental functions are to improve access to justice, to promote equal protection under the law, to increase diversity, to bring services to the community, and to support our attorneys and law students.

Membership – Responsibilities and Privileges

Imagine if you will, a wheel:  a wheel turning, slowly moving forward.  In the center of that wheel is the CHBA Board.  It consists of the Executive Board: the President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary and the Committee Chairs.  Attached to the center of the wheel are the spokes.  The spokes are what really makes the wheel turn.  You – the members are the spokes of CHBA.  Without you nothing happens; the organization does not move forward; the association does not effectuate change.  CHBA really is only as strong as its members.

At the Board Retreat on January 10, 2009, changes related to membership were implemented.  One change is to ensure that membership does “have its privileges.”  As of March 1, 2009, only dues paying members will receive certain benefits which had been extended to all on our email list serve and mailing list.  If you want to continue to benefit from the CHBA list serve, you must be a dues paying, active member.  An application is attached, and can also be found on our website: www.charleshoustonbar.org. I urge you to pay your annual dues and be the engineer for social justice our community deserves.

Presidential Goals and Challenge to the Membership

With my installation I indicated that I wanted to get back to the basics of “Laying the Foundation for the Future” as well as “redefining” that foundation for the future.  We are a group of the most intelligent and highly motivated segments of the population.  We touch the lives of so many in our daily affairs.  But are we doing all that we have been called to do, all that we are able to do? 

W.E.B. Du Bois wrote an article that was published in 1903 entitled “The Talented Tenth.” The article appeared as the second chapter of The Negro Problem, a collection of articles by African Americans (New York: James Pott and Company, 1903). Du Bois used the term “the talented tenth” to describe the likelihood of one in ten black men becoming leaders of their race in the world, through methods such as continuing their education, writing books, or becoming directly involved in social change. He believed the future black leaders needed a classical liberal education to reach their true destiny to become, what would be called in the 20th century, “public intellectuals.”

As members of CHBA, we are the legacy of The Talented Tenth, the legacy of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Charles Houston, and so many others who dedicated their lives to the African American community. 2009 and the Obama inauguration is not the end of their legacy; it is only the beginning of our journey to rededicate our efforts to ensure equality, opportunity, and excellence for all.

My challenge to each of you is to reflect upon your legal career and ask yourself, “What have I done to lay the foundation for our future? What have I done to ensure equality, opportunity and excellence for all?” Minority communities in the Bay Area and across this country continue to be plagued with poverty and violence. We have a responsibility to these communities. We have a responsibility to ensure that King’s dream is fulfilled, that Houston’s pledge is honored, and that all African Americans are given the opportunity to realize their potential.

We can fulfill this responsibility by making a commitment to work together to uplift our communities and to make the justice system not only accessible, but responsive to our communities. We must make a commitment to encourage our youth – our future – not to ignore and belittle them. Let them know that President Obama’s reality is also their reality. My challenge to you is to be the change we seek.

As we enter this New Year, this new phase of life, let’s not forget we are indebted to Charles Hamilton Houston; we owe it to him to maintain his legacy; we owe it to him to build a stronger foundation; we owe it to him to uphold and maintain our mission. We owe it to him to be the agents of change our community so desperately needs. Together we can do this. Together we can be the wheel that moves CHBA forward into a better future.

Nedra A. Shawler, CHBA President
Email Nedra A. Shawler

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2009 Corporate Award Recipient