D.M. Therrell High School
2014 Law Week
By Lisa Liang
Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
[email protected]
O
n May 13, 2014, 10 brave Atlanta Bar Association
attorneys taught 16 classes on American Democracy
and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters at D. M.
Therrell High School as a part o f Law Day 2014. The Atlanta
Bar Association has long partnered with Therrell to support
its students through mentorship, programmatic support and
in-kind assistance. Therrell teacher and attorney Sharifah
Lee and I helped coordinate the 16 classes comprised of
students from Therrell’s three schools – Law, Government
& Public Policy; Science, Technology, Engineering & Math
(STEMS), and Health Science and Research.
Association was proud to participate in Therrell’s Law Day.
The students were engaged and excited. We look forward
to partnering with the school’s administrators and fellow bar
associations to make the program a success.”
Using the American Bar materials, attorneys James Blitch,
Harold Franklin, Jr., Seth Kirschenbaum, Les Klemperer,
Lynn Robertson, Jacquelyn Saylor, Jessica Stern, Maggie
Vath, Wade Watson, Meka Ward, Robert Wellon and Kristin
Zielmanski volunteered to engage in dialogue with about 250
high school students on topics ranging from the history and
future of voting in America, compulsory versus voluntary voting
and the importance and effect of voting. Although seemingly
a challenging topic in which to engage high school students,
Harold Franklin, Jr. highlighted that “seeing the kids become
engaged and passionate about a topic they initially viewed
as mundane was very rewarding. So many expressed an
eagerness to participate in the electoral process and said
they gained a better understanding of the significant sacrifices
made by so many to break down the barriers erected to
disenfranchise eligible voters.”
In teaching her two classes, Maggie Vath used a pre-Voting
Rights Act literacy test to highlight the history of voting in
America. She recounted that: “Of course we all failed due to
the purposefully confusing nature of the test. It was certainly
an educational experience for them and for me.” Robert
Wellon also used the literacy test with students and recalls
“the animated students who were giving all kinds of answers,
humorous and otherwise, to the literacy test I was reading
out to them.”
The Law Day event also garnered the support of the Gate City
Bar Association. President Meka Ward echoed the sentiments
of the Atlanta Bar Association by saying: “the Gate City Bar
10 THE ATLANTA LAWYER
June/July 2014
Pictured from left to right at D.M. Therrell High School
of LGPP 2014 Law Week are Immediate Past President
Wade H. Watson III (Caldwell & Watson), Maggie Vath
(Georgia State University College of Law), Leslie P.
Klemperer (Attorney-at-Law) and President of the Atlanta
Bar Association Jacquelyn “Jackie” Saylor (The Saylor
Law Firm).
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association