February 5 program: The Green Book CLE and Solidarity Awards

The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center will open an exhibit on February 2 entitled "The Negro Motorist Green Book."

A few days later, on Sunday, February 5, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., a consortium of six local bar and judges' groups will present a lecture by Dr. Adam Green, who serves on the faculty of the University of Chicago in the Departments of History and Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity, on The Green Book, Plessy v. Ferguson, and the Civil Rights Act. The lecture will follow self-guided tours of the exhibit. One hour CLE credit will be available for lawyers attending (diversity credit is pending).

The program will also feature the presentation of Solidarity Awards, awards to be conferred jointly by all six sponsoring groups. The identities of the awardees is expected to be disclosed later this week.

The six organizations jointly sponsoring the February 5 program are the Black Women's Lawyers Association, the Cook County Bar Association, the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, the Illinois Judicial Council, the Jewish Judges Association of Illinois, the North Suburban Bar Association, and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

The Green Book was created, and updated annually for many years, by Victor Green, a Black postal carrier from Harlem. The exhibit at the Holocaust Museum was created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with Candacy Taylor. The Smithsonian Institution has an online Green Book exhibit where readers can get a sense of what can be found at the exhibit at the Holocaust Museum. A quote from the online exhibit:

The Green Book would not have been possible if not for the community of self-sufficient, talented, and successful Black businesses that filled its pages.

Tickets for the February 5 CLE event and awards presentation are $35 for adults and $20 for children. Sponsorships are also available. A Gold level sponsorship ($100) includes two adult tickets and printed recognition in the program materials; a Platinum level sponsorship ($250) includes four adult tickets, verbal recognition at the event, social media publicity, and prominent recognition in the program materials. Both event tickets and sponsorships are available at this link. For more information about potential sponsorships, email wbai.cle@gmail.com.