E X E C U T I V E
D I R E C T O R ’ S
M E S S A G E
J o h n F. K y n e s - H i l l s b o r o u g h C o u n t y B a r A s s o c i a t i o n
HCBa re-releases “Before the Law was
Equal” Documentary Film on YouTube
“we hope that by re-releasing this important historical film … many
more people will have the opportunity view it and learn more about
the struggle for equal opportunity and civil rights in Hillsborough
County’s legal community.”
— HCBa president John schifino
T
Documentary Focuses on the Desegregation of
Hillsborough’s Legal Community
ampa attorney Marsha Rydberg became
the HCBA’s first female president in
1991, and she has been recognized as a
trailblazer in Hillsborough County’s
legal community.
Rydberg also won the HCBA’s Outstanding Lawyer
Award in 2014.
But, Rydberg’s career path was riddled with significant
obstacles along the way.
Foremost among them were the discriminatory hiring
practices and other societal attitudes that made it
especially difficult for
women and minorities
entering the workplace.
Even after gradu ating
first in her law school
class at Stetson in 1976,
Rydberg had difficulty
getting a job interview,
much less a full-time
position.
But Rydberg perse -
vered and she did not
lose sight of her goal of becoming a successful attorney
and making a positive difference in the community.
Rydberg’s personal recollections about her career have
been chronicled — along with a group of other local legal
trailblazers — in the HCBA’s documentary film “Before
the Law Was Equal.”
The historical film debuted in 2013 and recently was
re-released on the HCBA’s YouTube channel, which can
be accessed on the HCBA’s website.
The goal of the film — which was produced by
the HCBA’s Young Lawyer Division and Diversity
Committee — was to capture an oral history from those
8
who experienced discrimination in the 1950s, 1960s,
and 1970s, and to memorialize their stories for
future generations.
“The HCBA is proud to re-release the documentary
film ‘Before the Law Was Equal’ providing a historical
narrative of the desegregation of Hillsborough County’s
legal community,” said HCBA President John Schifino.
“We hope that by re-releasing this important historical
film on the popular video-sharing platform YouTube…
many more people will have the opportunity to view it
and learn more about the struggle for equal opportunity
and civil rights in Hillsborough County’s legal
community,” Schifino added.
Besides Rydberg, the hour-long film features: the
late Judge Don Castor,
Judge E.J. Salcines,
the late Judge John F.
Germany, Judge Mary
Scriven, the late William
Reece Smith Jr., Lanse
Scriven, Gwynne Young,
Delano Stewart, Fraser
Himes, Carolyn House
Stewart, and Warren
Dawson.
The idea for the
documentary project — which took about a year to
complete — dates back to 2012, said Victoria Ferrentino,
who along with Luis Viera co-chaired the HCBA’s
Diversity Committee at the time.
With support from then-HCBA President Bob
Nader, YLD President Rachael Greenstein and
Ferrentino spearheaded the project, with the assistance
of Stan Arthur, a local filmmaker affiliated with Stetson
law school.
“Everyone we reached out to was excited to
participate,” Ferrentino told me.
Continued on page 9
JAN - FEB 2019
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HCBA LAWYER