PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

By MICHAEL CONNELLY Connelly • Baker • Wotring • Jackson LLP

CIVIL RIGHTS Are for All of Us

This issue of The Houston Lawyer places a special emphasis on civil rights. That has prompted me, and I hope it will prompt you, to reflect more profoundly on some of the most important concepts in the history of jurisprudence and in the social progress of mankind.
I am neither an academician nor an historian, but the first historical encounter with “civil rights” that I recall from my education resulted in the Magna Carta in 1215. King John of England was both feared and hated, and he offended “all people” by his insistence on blind obedience to unjust and morally wrong laws. The injustice affected all men and women, but the barons and knights of the realm felt particularly disadvantaged, because they believed themselves to be entitled to certain rights and freedoms by virtue of their station in life. Urged by the Archbishop of Canterbury, they created the Magna Carta which confirmed their rights and freedoms, and they placed King John in a position which required him to sign the document and confirm those principles.
The term “civil rights” means different things to different people at different times. We all have our own experiences which may affect our attitude toward these principles. We can try to imagine a loss of “civil rights” like that which resulted in the Magna Carta, but our imagination is limited by our experiences. Only those who have truly experienced a loss of “civil rights” probably fully understand the importance of those principles.
I have lived through and experienced one of the most historically significant eras of “civil rights” known to mankind. As a boy, I was raised in the South where traditions and ways of life were perpetuated for generations without questioning the underlying premise. I remember seeing minorities riding in the back of buses and having separate drinking fountains. When I went to college at Stanford University in 1962, the academic environment encouraged open debate, discussion, and challenge to any ideas, even those built on social tradition. The 1960’s was a period of great public unrest. There was strong disagreement, often violent, about political policies, and confrontation about social policies. Social principles that I never had reason to question, presented new concerns, different points of view, and social change based on justice.
It is my belief that we all suffer some level of discrimination in our life – it is part of the human experience. But, it is not an acceptable part of the human experience to suffer the disgrace and humiliation of discrimination based on race, color, creed, or gender. Even though I have not personally experienced that level of ostracism, I have a better understanding of it, because of the attention given “civil rights” by protesters, by persons exercising civil disobedience against laws which are arguably morally unjust, and by information in the visual and print media (like The Houston Lawyer).
The Houston Bar Association has had its own history of a “civil rights” movement. This history is reported by Eric L. Fredrickson, one of our members, in the book, A Commitment to Public Service, which is a wonderful history of the HBA. Until 1965, the HBA Constitution limited membership to “whites.” It was wrong, but it had been accepted as a social premise for years. Fortunately, leadership from several sources helped correct this injustice. As reported in Fredrickson’s book, Carl Walker, Jr. petitioned for a change in the HBA constitution. George Barrow (president in 1963 – 1964), and James Kronzer (president in 1964 – 1965) were instrumental in the effort to change the HBA constitution. Today, we enjoy a membership which is not limited by race, color, creed, or gender. The HBA should not be focused on “civil rights” as a political agenda or as a progressive social trend. The hallmark of our society and our legal profession should be that civil rights are for all of us. The HBA should continue to demonstrate that civil rights are foundational to our organization, our profession, and our community.
Civil rights do not exist solely for minorities, or for people in special categories who may feel a level of social ostracism. Civil rights exist for all of us whether we are in a majority or a minority, whether we are male or female, whether we are gay or straight, and, yes, whether we are politically conservative or liberal. It may not be important whether we agree or disagree with the conclusions presented by the individual contributors to articles in this issue. But, it is certainly important that we continue to encourage this dialogue and support any discussion which exposes social conditions to the light of day and educates society about the legal principles which have been developed and earned over the centuries of time.

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