In 1948, a group of ten civil rights attorneys and advocates seeking a community of support started the Gate City Bar Association. These Black men and women (Charles Clayton, Edward D’Antignac, Thomas Henry Jr., Rachel Herndon, Thomas Holmes, Eugene Moore Jr., Sylvester Robinson, James Salter, Roscoe Thomas Jr., and Austin Walden) were accomplished legal professionals and leaders within the Atlanta community; however, they were not permitted to participate in the existing, predominantly white bar associations. So, they decided to start their own organization.

“The group really formed out of necessity and the wanting to have support,” says Pierce Hand Seitz 11C, judge in the Municipal Court of Atlanta, and Gate City Bar Association president-elect. “As you can imagine, being African American lawyers in the 1940s, there was not a lot of great treatment. Certain judges and attorneys would not afford them the [same] full privileges, respect, and regard as their white counterpart attorneys.”

The group officially formed the Gate City Bar Association on January 25, 1948, in the office of Austin Walden, a noted civil rights attorney. They met monthly at restaurants or each other’s homes, sharing stories about personal and professional challenges. The name “Gate City” was an existing Atlanta nickname that described the city’s post-Civil War railroad and economic boom. For the Gate City Bar Association, the name also symbolized a gateway to opportunities for Black professionals and lawyers to thrive in the city of Atlanta. Over the years, several Emory graduates have served as president of Gate City, including Shawntel Hebert Clark 07L, Cheryl Turner 94C 99L, Harold E. Franklin Jr. 90C, David Anderson Hooker 94L 04T, Patrise M. Perkins-Hooker84L 84MBA, Randal Mangham 91T, Kevin Ross 80L, Antonio L. Thomas 69L, and Felker W. Ward Jr. 71L.

Now the oldest African American bar association in the state of Georgia, Gate City focuses on community, education, mentoring, and community involvement. The association’s mission is to create “a practical appreciation for the legal profession; to encourage persons of outstanding promise to attend first-rate law schools and return to the communities that need their services most; to oppose arbitrary and capricious laws in our state with all the force and fiber of which we are capable as an organization; [and] to uphold and extend the principles of justice in every phase of American life to the end that no one shall be discriminated against because of color, race, religious beliefs or national origin.” Gate City also serves the legal profession and metro Atlanta community through programs and volunteerism.

“The way that we continue to uphold the legacy of our founders is through programming,” says Seitz. “We have lawyers of all backgrounds and racial identities who are part of the Gate City Bar Association, and we provide a legal community to support them.”

Each year, Gate City hosts substantive programs and events for Black History Month and Women’s History Month; there’s also the Brother to Brother social and mentoring programs in March. Gate City coordinates its annual Community Law Clinic in May and also partners with the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation to attend their Saturday Lawyers Program, through which attorneys provide pro bono legal work for low-income Atlantans. In November, the Gate City Bar Association holds its annual gala, which is a dinner and an awards program recognizing legal leaders; during this time, the association announces its student scholarships. At this year’s gala, Seitz will step into his role as president and share his goals for the next board year.

“I’m so happy the Gate City Bar Association has been able to provide the support and connection I’ve needed throughout my career, so I can lean on the folks who came before me and ensure I’m helping the next generation of legal leaders, says Seitz. “Black lawyers only comprise 5% nationally of the profession, so having a community is so important.”

If you want to learn more about the Gate City Bar Association or attend a future program, visit their website or follow them on social media. You can also subscribe to their newsletter. One of the perks of membership is the Gate City Bar Association’s listserv, which provides programming updates and case referrals, as well as internship and scholarship opportunities.