The Community Service Committee is responsible for developing and coordinating community education and service programs. The work of the Community Service Committee helps achieve the LVNBA’s goals of aiding in reforms for the economic and social welfare of all people in a manner consistent with the principals of a free democratic society and improving the educational, social and economic status of the African-American community to eliminate discrimination.
Chair: Sandra Douglass Morgan
The Community Service Committee organizes a variety of projects and events such as:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition: This annual competition is sponsored by the National Bar Association and supported by the National Bar Institute. High school students compete in local, regional, and national essay and oral advocacy competitions for scholarships. The National Bar Association’s (NBA) first annual MLK Advocacy Competition was held at its 75th Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., in 2000. As a result of the overwhelming success of the Competition, the NBA, with the support of the National Bar Institute (NBI), adopted it as a national program.
The topics of the Competition are always considered from the point of view of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and have included:
- law enforcement treatment of persons of Arab descent and of the Muslim faith in terrorist investigations
- need for reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
- recommendations for action on the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act to address the continuing problem of voter disenfranchisement in minority communities
- treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system
- right of same-sex couples to marry
- Occupy Movement
For more information about this year’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition, go to the Events & Meetings page.
MLK Day of Service Community Forum and America’s Supper: The LVNBA co-sponsored the MLK Day of Service Community Forum and America’s Supper: “War Torn: Putting the Pieces Together Again” on January 15, 2012 at 3:00 pm at the William Pierson Community Center. There was a panel discussion on how the community, civic leaders, friends, and family can support minority veterans as they face the challenges of returning to life as civilians.
Approximately 75-80 people attended the event. There was a great discussion about vetrans’ needs. LVNBA members Sandra Douglass Morgan and Jonathan MacArthur as well as Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford and Clark County Commissioner Lawrence Weekly were present, along with church leaders. For more information, click here.
Las Vegas Chapter of the National Bar Association Archive at the UNLV Boyd School of Law: In April 2011, the 30th anniversary year of the founding of the LVNBA, the LVNBA established an archive at the Wiener-Rogers Law Library at the UNLV Boyd School of Law. The original donation that allowed the Archive archive to become a reality came from Arthur L. Williams, Jr., a founding member of the LVNBA and its President president for two terms. Since 1981, Mr. Williams has collected documents, photographs, newspaper clippings, and other materials about the LVNBA, its activities, and membership. The archive preserves and enables access to materials that enhance scholars’, and students’ understanding of important events and movements that have shaped the local community and the state. The Archive currently includes documents, photographs, film, ephemera – materials of all types and formats – that relate to the LVNBA and its members. We welcome donations.
Oral History Project: The LVNBA is undertaking oral histories of LVNBA members and other individuals in the community. We began collecting oral histories in April 2011. This is a multi-year project. The primary goal of the LVNBA oral history interviews is to learn more about the LVNBA, its achievements, and the achievements of its members. The oral histories are donated to the LVNBA Archive.
Career Day at Local Schools: For example, LVNBA Members F. Travis Buchanan, Patricia Lee, and Nikkya Williams participated in Career Day at Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy on May 6, 2010. While at the academy, they staffed a table and handed out information regarding “Things You Can Do With a Law Degree” and “High School Preparation for Law School.” They also answered questions relating to the law as a career to several middle and high school students. Presentations were also made by LVNBA members in four elementary school classes. View pictures from Career Day at the Andre Agassi Prepatory Academy.
Meet and Greet with Judicial Candidates: For example, in 2010 election cycle, LVNBA members met with judicial candidates the at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at an event jointly sponsored by the Las Vegas chapters of the Asian Bar Association, the Latino Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and the South Asian Bar Association on May 21, 2010. The event was a tremendous success and over 80 people attended the Meet and Greet, including 90% of the candidates! Congratulations to the joint planning committee and to F. Travis Buchanan and the members of the Community Service Committee for achieving great results through their hard work. View pictures from the Judicial Meet and Greet.
Donations of School Supplies to Students at Local Elementary Schools: For example, the LVNBA, together with the LVNBA Foundation, donated backpacks to four classrooms of students at Booker Elementary School, Mat Kelly Elementary School, and Kit Carson Elementary School on August 30, 2010. LVNBA Members, friends of the LVNBA, and Boyd law students were involved in this community service event. Many thanks to Sami Randolph, Malcolm LaVergne, F. Travis Buchanan, Amber White-Davidson, Karl Riley, Patti Lee, Richard Manhattan, Richard Boulware, and Alicia Monroe for making this event a success!
Educational Events about Law and Legal Issues: For example, the LVNBA held the NBA Wiley A. Branton Town Hall on Juvenile Justice at Nevada Partners, together with the national chapter of the National Bar Association, November 20, 2010.
Thanksgiving Food Donations: For example, the LVNBA made a Thanksgiving food donation to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, November 24, 2010. This donation fed 400 families. Many thanks to Augusta Massey and F. Travis Buchanan for spearheading this project.
