Cook County Bar Association Hosts “Destiny in Time” A Gala 100th Anniversary Celebration

CHICAGO - May 21, 2014 - PRLog -- (CHICAGO)  -- The Cook County Bar Association (http://cookcountybar.org/featured-events/) (CCBA) will celebrate its 100^th Anniversary with a Centennial Gala on Saturday, June 21 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  The Gala theme is “Destiny in Time” and the event will also feature the installation of the CCBC’s new president, Celestia L. Mays of Celestia L. Mays PC.

“The members of the Cook County Bar Association are among the pioneers of the legal profession and represent a long and storied heritage of championing issues of importance to not just African Americans but all Americans”, said Delores E. Robinson, current CCBA president.  “This anniversary marks not just a milestone for the profession in Cook County, but a national milestone of African American history.”

Incoming CCBA President Mays currently serves as 1^st Vice President of the organization.  “It is an honor to be installed as we celebrate this pivotal moment in time for CCBA”, said Mays.  “This event is a wonderful way to memorialize our past and set us on the road for an even more impactful future.”

The Cook County Bar Association was formed in 1914 with Edward H. Wright serving as its first president.  The organization was formally incorporated by the State of Illinois on March 5, 1920.  The seeds of the Cook County Bar Association were sown much earlier in 1896, when 32 African American lawyers began to meet informally to plan protests against discrimination in hotels, theaters, and restaurants, and to address judicial elections and school desegregation.  Among the founders were Lloyd G. Wheeler, the first African American lawyer admitted to the bar in 1869;  Richard A. Dawson, the second African American lawyer admitted to the bar in 1870 after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School; Ferdinand L. Barnett, the third African American lawyer admitted to the bar in 1878 after graduating from Northwestern University Law School and Ida Platt, the first African American woman admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, and the third African American woman lawyer in the nation.  In 1925, CCBA members C. Francis Stradford, Wendell E. Green, and Jesse N. Baker were among the founders of the National Bar Association (http://www.nationalbar.org) (NBA).

Historically, the CCBA has engaged in a variety of programs to advance the legal profession and its members.  Among its most important contributions was the development of an organized system for the fair and impartial evaluation of judicial candidates that led to the joint alliance with other minority bar associations.

Chair for the Centennial Gala is Valee Salone, Law Offices of Valee L. Salone.   The evening begins with a Cocktail Reception at 6:30; Dinner & Program at 7:30 and concludes with a “Nightcap Party” at 10:30.  Current sponsors for the Gala include the Law Offices of James D. Montgomery and Associates, Ltd., Power Rogers & Smith, PC, Schiff Hardin, LLP and Prudential Financial Inc.  Individual tickets to the Gala are $200 and program book advertising is available, for more details visit Cook County Bar Association. (http://cookcountybar.org/featured-events/)

About the Cook County Bar Association

The CCBA was founded in 1914 and is the oldest association of African American lawyers and judges in the nation. Since its inception 100 years ago, the CCBA has been actively engaged in community service and outreach.