To kick off Black History Month, the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law hosted an evening gathering entitled “Bending the Arc Toward Justice.’ Pictured at the event are (front row, left to right): Godfrey J. Dillard, Detroit Mercy Law Dean Phyllis L. Crocker and Wayne County Probate Court Judge Terrance A. Keith; along with (middle row, left to right) Taylor Seals, BLSA executive board members Jailah Emerson, Cheryl Mitchell, Deja Davis and Nadine Dabaja; in addition to (back row, left to right) Gail Carr Williams and Tarrant family members Laurence Johnson (grandson), Laurence Johnson, II (great grandson), Dionna Johnson (great-great granddaughter), Ladeveris Hathorne (great granddaughter), Ruth Johnson (granddaughter-in-law), and Larry White (Hathorne’s partner).
– Photo by Dave Frechette, courtesy of Detroit Mercy Law
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law ushered in Black History Month by hosting “Bending the Arc Toward Justice,” an evening that acknowledged the school’s history, present, and future.
The program included a portrait unveiling of Henry H. Tarrant ’22, the first known African American graduate of Detroit Mercy Law, along with remarks by Godfrey J. Dillard, a civil rights trailblazer and one of the lawyers who represented the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) in its lawsuit against the university in the early 1980s.
Other highlights of the event included the launch of the new Henry H. Tarrant Award for Black Student Excellence as well as and an introduction to the Association of Black Law Alumni (ABLA), led by Wayne County Probate Court Judge Terrance A. Keith and ABLA’s new scholarship for African American students, the David Williams II and Gail Carr Williams Endowed Scholarship Fund.
This was an event to celebrate Tarrant, and, as Detroit Mercy Law Dean Phyllis L. Crocker explained, it was to “celebrate our history,
acknowledge some of our mistakes, and be proud of where we are and where we are headed.”
Detroit Mercy Law opened its doors to students on Oct. 1, 1912.
Seven years later, Tarrant, a 27- year-old, World War I veteran, enrolled in classes and graduated in 1922. With the help of Patrick Meyer, associate professor of law and director of the Detroit Mercy Law Kresge Law Library; Gene Moy, a former reference librarian at Detroit Mercy Law; Carrie Sharlow, administrative assistant in Government Relations at the State Bar of Michigan; and Margaret Leary, a former law library director at the University of Michigan, Detroit Mercy Law was able to identify Tarrant as the first known black graduate and shed some light into the history of his life.
Although little is known about Tarrant’s life apart from what has been found in law school and U.S. Census records and newspaper reports, “being the first African American graduate marked the beginning of new opportunities for others,” Crocker said.
Cheryl Mitchell, BLSA president at Detroit Mercy Law, introduced the new Henry H. Tarrant Award for Black Student Excellence.
The award recognizes incoming black students for their achievements prior to law school and for their potential as future leaders who will advance justice, equality, civil rights, and service. In addition to financial assistance, award recipients will receive mentorship.
“Our goal as an organization is to ensure we are providing assistance to those in our community so that they may be complete lawyers,” Mitchell said.
BLSA leadership unveiled the Tarrant portrait, painted by Richard Lewis and framed by Eric Vaughn, which will be displayed on the first floor of Detroit Mercy Law.
Dillard reflected on the lawsuit BLSA filed against the university in the 1980s stating that it gave the university “the impetus to change...[and] helped them make up their minds it was never going to happen again.”
The law school fully acknowledged the importance of the lawsuit at the event.
“It’s admitting that they made a mistake. This will provide hope for the future for all of those who will come here,” said Dillard.
ABLA is a new affiliate of the Detroit Mercy Law Alumni Association.
ABLA’s mission is to augment the resources of the law school and the legal profession by actively recruiting and mentoring black law students through scholarships and career networking opportunities. ABLA also aims to facilitate communications between black law students, faculty, staff, and the administration, and to enrich the legal education experience for black law students.
Keith noted that ABLA aims to “create a tapestry” telling the accomplishments of black graduates and to “make it possible for us to know our history” at the university.
Keith announced the formation of The David Williams II and Gail Carr Williams Endowed Scholarship Fund, which is to ensure future black law students are able to attend and thrive at Detroit Mercy Law.
“[W]e recognize what we didn’t have — financial support, academic support, and the support of lawyers in the community,” said Keith.
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