preSiDenT S meSSaGe

By Bill Kroger Baker Botts l.l.P

Listening and Learning from Diverse Voices

The Houston Bar Association has a remarkable history, ing on a committee with Dean Bill Powers on admissions and but it is marred by its early segregation which persist- saw the challenges that Black applicants faced getting into law ed for 90 years. I have read decades of The Houston school. When I became a young lawyer, these experiences moLawyer articles to prepare for this bar year. During the tivated me to want to mentor Black law students and lawyers late 1960s, there were columns written about the need and help them succeed at our firm. I started a legal internship for law and order; I saw no articles from that era written by program with Communities in Schools for outstanding students Black leaders, or any written expression of grief or outrage over attending at-risk schools. That program has been ongoing for 30 civil rights violations or murders from that era. It is therefore years and is now an HBA program. Many Black youths got their appropriate to mark our 150th Anniversary with an issue dedi- first jobs through that program. cated to justice and anti-racism, enhancing our path forward. But over the years, I struggled to make any real measurable

I have never personally experienced systemic racism, or progress mentoring Black lawyers. I currently don’t have any feared police enforcement or the justice system. And I have Black lawyers who work within the practice group I lead. Over struggled with effectively recruiting, mentoring, and retaining the years, I didn’t regularly serve on employment committees Black lawyers. For these reasons, I found the views and opin- but, instead, like many, became more preoccupied with family, ions of our writers in this edition challenging and important to work, and other projects. I have mentored many other diverse read. I hope you do too. lawyers over the years, but on helping Black lawyers succeed

My first direct experiences with racial divisions were rela- within my group, I mostly failed. Maybe Domino’s bass player tively mild but remained lifetime memories. They arose when was right to be disappointed in the young man before him. I worked in my family’s music company. It was through the That is why many of us—including yours truly—need to music store that I learned to love music from artists like James listen, learn, and decide what we can do better. We live in a Brown, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Marvin Gaye, The Isley Broth- country that has great potential and a bright future if it can efers, Lightnin Hopkins, and Bob Marley. They remain important fectively engage, include, and respect its many diverse residents. and lasting heroes for me. But the music industry was more seg- Most people have good hearts and want to work and live in diregated in the 1970s. White kids in my neighborhood gener- verse communities. But if this is to be achieved, we all have to ally didn’t listen to Parliament or the Kashmere “Thunder Soul” roll up our sleeves and become engaged. Stage Band. The marketing of music was also segregated. One of COVID-19 and George Floyd’s murder are wake-up calls for acmy jobs was sorting new records and tapes based on categories tion. We have unfinished business, and must improve economic provided by music distributors. Records by white artists were opportunity, health care, and our police and justice systems so placed in sections called “Male Vocals” and “Vocal Groups”; that all have equal access to essential services and receive fair Black artists like Jimi Hendrix, Bill Withers, and even Michael treatment. I believe that the legacy of slavery, systemic racism, Jackson at his popular peak, were placed in sections with black and bigotry facing Black Americans for hundreds of years preslabels called “Jazz” or “Soul.” It was a practice dating back to ents a special case deserving attention, but these concerns also the 1920s when the industry called Black music “Race Records.” extend to all diverse members of our city facing such obstacles.

One day in the late 1970s, Fats Domino’s band came into our All sides and views on these issues need to be heard, with more Memorial City store. I tried to help his bass player with some compassion and less hate and intolerance. We also need collaboitems he needed. I knew all of Domino’s songs, and it was an ration across schools, communities, families, churches, compahonor to meet his band. Yet, the bass player took it as an insult, nies, non-profits, law enforcement, government, and law firms. thinking that he was being disrespected by having a boy wait on I hope reading the voices of concern expressed in these pages him. Looking back, I understand why he felt that way. motivates and inspires the wonderful members of the Houston

At the University of Texas Law School, I spent a year work- Bar to take the needed steps forward.