Unity is strength. The wisdom of that truth has been known since ancient times as reflected in Greek fables, such as Aesop's tales about The Four Oxen and the Lion and The Bundle of Sticks, and Chinese stories, such as The Five Chinese Brothers.
Seventy-four percent of U.S. residents say American democracy is weaker than five years ago, according to an ABA poll released in advance of Law Day on May 1.
Our Carnegie library was a dignified brick edifice built for $6,000. It was an oasis for knowledge, not some bogus den of “literary filth” that today’s shortsighted cynics might pretend.
My hometown Toulon, Illinois, is a small farm community of 1,200 souls about three hours southwest of the Chicago sprawl. During my youth, it featured five gas stations; four churches; three grocery stores and two doctors, which said something about gas, God and medicine in my 1960s rural America.
Labor rights icon Dolores Huerta has simple but sage advice for attorneys: Get engaged in your community. “We need more attorneys to get involved in civic life and be out there with the rest of us, doing the work that we need to get people elected and to change the laws, do the advocacy that we need.”
“Trust in our institutions of government is a central tenet of our democracy. As lawyers, we are acutely aware that our democracy depends on faith in our court systems. … As members of the American Bar Association, it is our duty to safeguard and further our nearly century-long commitment as national leaders in defining the parameters of legal and judicial ethics,” writes ABA President Mary Smith.
“It’s been my goal to try to change the imagery of what attorneys look like to kids,” says Okoye Morgan Jr., founder and general counsel of The Black Law Company in Tampa, Florida.
Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker has spent decades dealing with national security. Today, Parker’s focus isn’t spies, surveillance or foreign governments. It’s education—specifically, inadequate civic education from elementary school to graduate school. When Americans don’t understand the foundations of their democracy, they are susceptible to misinformation and manipulation, she says. In her view, civic education is a national security imperative.
Seventy-seven percent of surveyed Americans were able to recall that the First Amendment protects freedom of speech, but less than half were able to name other rights protected by that amendment.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said at her 2010 confirmation hearing: “What I’ve learned most is that no one has a monopoly on truth or wisdom. I’ve learned that we make progress by listening to each other, across every apparent political or ideological divide.” It is especially important for the legal profession to promote and accept diverse viewpoints as it works to bridge the polarization and erosion of trust in our democratic institutions.
The ABA is ramping up efforts to support a growing movement of court watchers. These are members of the public who observe bail hearings and other court proceedings and document the actions of judges and lawyers.
An overwhelming majority of Americans agree that civility has sharply declined in our country. That’s one of the key findings of the fifth annual ABA Survey of Civic Literacy, which was released ahead of Law Day on May 1.
“As the legal community prepares to celebrate Law Day on May 1, we should look back on why this day exists,” writes ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross. “Law Day dates to the days of the Cold War, more than 60 years ago. … Today, as we struggle as a nation that often seems divided, Law Day is even more important.”
Referencing the “three Cs” that have become a hallmark of her presidency, ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross’ speech to the House of Delegates focused on how members’ work has helped people with a variety of issues.
The ABA Journal wants to host and facilitate conversations among lawyers about their profession. We are now accepting thoughtful, non-promotional articles and commentary by unpaid contributors.
