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April
14, 2009
NBA
NEWS BRIEF
National Bar Association, 1225 11th Street,
N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001
HAWAI'I
FRIENDS OF CIVIL RIGHTS HONORS AFRICAN AMERICAN LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
AND OTHERS
 (The
African American Lawyers Association (AALA) was one of 4 recipients
of the Second Annual Dr. Martin Luther King's, Jr. Friends
Awards presented by the Hawai'i Friends of Civil Rights at
the Pacific Club on January 25, 2009.
AALA
founding members Andre S. Wooten, Daphne Barbee-Wooten, Sandra
Simms and Rustam Barbee were on hand to receive the honors.
The award was in recognition of the organizations ongoing
efforts to promote justice and equality in our legal system
and combat negative stereotypes about African Americans and
other marginalized groups since its chartering in 1986. AALA's
annual high school essay contests and its members' active
and visible involvement in the Hawaii legal community were
cited. Certificates of recognition were given by United States
Congressman Neil Abercrombie, Senator Clayton Hee on behalf
of the Senate, Representative Jon Riki Nakamatsu on behalf
of the House, and by Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hanneman. Other AALA
founding members include William Harrison, Jerry Wilson, and
the late Judy Weightman.
In
his acceptance remarks, Rustam Barbee spoke of his father's
mentoring of him and his sister's commitment to the quest
for civil rights. Lloyd Barbee, was a Wisconsin civil rights
attorney and lawmaker who consistently insisted that his is
driver's license designate his race as "human". The state
of Wisconsin was not amused and consistently returned his
license with the race marked as "colored", and later, "Negro".
Current officers are President Shana Peete, Vice President
Khalid Mutjabaa, Sandra Simms is secretary and Russ Barbee
is treasurer.
Other
HFCR honorees included Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, UH head basketball
Coach Bob Nash, and longtime community activist and founder
of the Community Alliance on Prisons, Kat Brady. Dr. Soetoro-Ng's
presentation capped a week of extraordinary history-making
as she arrived at the event directly from Washington D.C.
and the inaugural celebrations that made Hawaii born Barack
Obama, the first black President of the United States of America.
Faye
Kennedy and Dr. Amy Agbayani are the co-chairs and organizers
for the Hawai'i Friends of Civil Rights.
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