SECTION UPDATE
Labor & Employment Section
By Benjamin I. Fink
Berman Fink Van Horn P.C.
[email protected]
A
s we all know, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended
segregation in public places and banned employment
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
or national origin. The Civil Rights Act is considered one
of the crowning legislative achievements of the civil rights
movement. It is incredible to think that only a short 50 years
ago, this type of discrimination was not against the law.
The Civil Rights Act was first proposed by President John
F. Kennedy and survived strong opposition from Southern
members of congress. Ultimately, the Act was signed into
law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Atlanta, in many ways, was the epicenter of the civil rights
movement. The heroic acts of its citizens, students, educators
and leaders were instrumental in overcoming segregation and
establishing legislative change. Atlanta has indeed “risen up.”
Today, Atlanta is a growing, vibrant and diverse community.
It is only appropriate that we, as members of the Atlanta Bar,
celebrate the passage of this historic legislation.
Accordingly, on November 18, from 6:30-9:00 p.m. at the
new National Center for Civil & Human Rights on Ivan Allen
Jr. Boulevard, the Labor & Employment Section of the Atlanta
Bar will be holding a reception to celebrate the passage of
the Civil Rights Act. This event is being co-sponsored by
the Labor & Employment Law Section of the State Bar of
Georgia, the Atlanta Chapter of the Federal Bar Association,
the Gate City Bar Association, the Georgia Association for
Women Lawyer s as well as the Georgia Association of Black
Women Attorneys. We hope that this multi-bar event will be
an appropriate tribute to the legislation and to all those who
made it happen.
I want to especially thank our corporate sponsors for their
generous contributions without whom we could not have this
event. They are as follows: Platinum: Ogletree Deakins, King
& Spalding, Klein ADR and The Buckley Law Firm; Gold:
Barrett & Farahany and Berman Fink Van Horn.
Opportunities remain for other organizations, firms and
corporations to become co-sponsors of the event if they would
like. If you or someone you know is interested in being a
sponsor of this event, please have them contact me at (404)
261-7711 or [email protected].
We look forward to celebrating together on November 18,
2014 and hope that the entire legal community will support
this momentous event.
Labor & Employment Section Reception on 11.18.14
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association
October 2014
THE ATLANTA LAWYER
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