By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Monumental City Bar Association (MCBA) will celebrate its 90th anniversary with a gala at the M&T Bank Exchange in Baltimore on May 3. The historic organization was created to provide mentoring, counseling and training opportunities for African-American attorneys in Maryland.
Though its official incorporation date is 1935, MCBA was organized in 1917 to support Black lawyers who were excluded by mainstream, White-dominated bar associations due to racism and segregation.
“It has historically been a place for the Black lawyer when there was no other place for the Black lawyer to go or be a part of to make connections,” said Michelle Wilson McGlawn, former MCBA president and chair of the 90th anniversary gala. “Fundamentally, MCBA is about giving back. It’s designed to advocate for African-American attorneys and the interests of the African-American community in Baltimore.”
When Black lawyers were barred from joining associations, they were denied a critical opportunity to network, according to Wilson McGlawn.
“It was a missed opportunity to meet, to fellowship, to learn more, to be educated on certain topics or just to get your foot in the door,” said Wilson McGlawn. “Monumental has been a place where you can and should feel safe to ask a question or be unsure.”
Wilson McGlawn, a native of New York, first became involved with MCBA in 2004 after graduating from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Over the course of her law career, she worked as a prosecutor in Baltimore for 10 years and served in the Office of the Maryland Attorney General for five years.
During MCBA’s 80th anniversary in 2015, Wilson McGlawn was president of the association. This year, she was asked to return to put on the 90th anniversary gala. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Legends, Leaders and Legacy.”
“We want to honor our legends, the people who are among our firsts and who’ve been great lawyers for the past 40 to 50 years or more. We want to honor those contemporary people who are leaders and are paving the way,” said Wilson McGlawn. “Finally, we want to honor our legacy, the young attorneys who are doing great things in our community.”
The gala will give an opportunity for MCBA to present its deep history. The organization was officially founded in 1935 by local legal pioneers, including Warner McQuinn, W. Ashbie Hakwins and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Its membership has grown to include leading attorneys like William H. Murphy Sr., Robert Watts and Harry A. Cole.
Beverly Carter, a retired Maryland attorney and former court administrator for the Baltimore City Circuit Court, will be honored at the event. She said she was looking forward to spotlighting
MCBA’s leadership in breaking barriers within Baltimore’s legal community and advancing racial justice for the city’s residents.
“From 1917 to 1935, they were fighting for equality in the legal profession,” said Carter. “They also took cases and addressed issues that created hostile work and living environments for Baltimore’s Black community, who were forced to exist under the government’s purposeful imposition of racially explicit laws and regulations. MCBA joined with other organizations and groups to support or oppose actions that had an impact on the Black community.”
At a time when uncertainty is high and the federal government is targeting vulnerable communities, Carter said it’s critical that Black attorneys remain committed to serving their communities.
“It is imperative today. Due to the current attack on the rule of law and the Constitution, along with the attempt to erase Black history and culture, it is the responsibility of Black attorneys to be in the forefront of that battle,” said Carter. “MCBA’s legacy mandates its leadership.”
