A longtime member of the Detroit legal community, retired Wayne County Circuit Judge Craig Strong was in the spotlight at the recent MSU College of Law commencement ceremony.
Judge Craig S. Strong received the George N. Bashara Jr. Distinguished Alumni Award at Michigan State University College of Law Commencement on May 10.
Judge Strong, a 1973 graduate of the Detroit College of Law, was presented the award by Courtney Gabbara Agrusa, president of MSU Law Alumni Association.
Strong served the region’s legal community for 43 years – beginning with his appointment as a referee in the Traffic and Ordinance Division of Recorder's Court to judge of Wayne County Circuit Court. He retired from the bench in 2020, capping a distinguished career in the state judiciary.
At age 29, Strong was elected president of the Wolverine Bar Association. The Cass Tech product later served as president of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan and on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan. In addition, Strong was chair of the National Bar Association’s Judicial Council representing Judges of Color in the United States, Canada, and Caribbean Islands.
A founding board member of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s Annual African World Festival, Strong chairs an annual membership drive during Black History Month that has garnered tens of thousands of memberships. He served as an official United Nations observer of South Africa’s first all-race election, which saw Nelson Mandela chosen as president.
Long known as one of the most colorful dressers in the legal profession, Strong is an active member of the National Bar Association’s Community Outreach Program.
“He has touched students across the country and around the world, speaking at schools in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Aruba, and South Africa,” said a spokesperson for MSU College of Law. “Among the many schools he’s visited in the U.S. are Dorsey High School and the Marcus Garvey Academy in Los Angeles.”
Strong is a 33-degree Prince Hall Mason. He holds lifetime memberships in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the NAACP, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Navy Reserve Officer Association.
He has been the recipient of numerous proclamations and awards, including the State Bar of Michigan’s Distinguished Champion of Justice Award; the Soul and Spirit Humanitarian Award from the late U.S. District Judge Damon Keith; and the National Action Network’s MLK Day Justice of the People Award. In addition, he was inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame and was named Distinguished Veteran of the Year by the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition at the Detroit Veterans Parade.
Judge Strong, a 1973 graduate of the Detroit College of Law, was presented the award by Courtney Gabbara Agrusa, president of MSU Law Alumni Association.
Strong served the region’s legal community for 43 years – beginning with his appointment as a referee in the Traffic and Ordinance Division of Recorder's Court to judge of Wayne County Circuit Court. He retired from the bench in 2020, capping a distinguished career in the state judiciary.
At age 29, Strong was elected president of the Wolverine Bar Association. The Cass Tech product later served as president of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan and on the Representative Assembly of the State Bar of Michigan. In addition, Strong was chair of the National Bar Association’s Judicial Council representing Judges of Color in the United States, Canada, and Caribbean Islands.
A founding board member of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History’s Annual African World Festival, Strong chairs an annual membership drive during Black History Month that has garnered tens of thousands of memberships. He served as an official United Nations observer of South Africa’s first all-race election, which saw Nelson Mandela chosen as president.
Long known as one of the most colorful dressers in the legal profession, Strong is an active member of the National Bar Association’s Community Outreach Program.
“He has touched students across the country and around the world, speaking at schools in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Barbados, Aruba, and South Africa,” said a spokesperson for MSU College of Law. “Among the many schools he’s visited in the U.S. are Dorsey High School and the Marcus Garvey Academy in Los Angeles.”
Strong is a 33-degree Prince Hall Mason. He holds lifetime memberships in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the NAACP, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the Navy Reserve Officer Association.
He has been the recipient of numerous proclamations and awards, including the State Bar of Michigan’s Distinguished Champion of Justice Award; the Soul and Spirit Humanitarian Award from the late U.S. District Judge Damon Keith; and the National Action Network’s MLK Day Justice of the People Award. In addition, he was inducted into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame and was named Distinguished Veteran of the Year by the Metropolitan Detroit Veterans Coalition at the Detroit Veterans Parade.
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