The Cook County Bar Association (CCBA) will host its 103rd Annual Awards & Installation Banquet on Friday, June 23. The event themed, “Breaking Ceilings and Building Bridges” will feature the installation of attorney Dartesia A. Pitts, Esq. as president of the
CCBA. Master of Ceremonies will be Comedian Clark Jones. The event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Upper Wacker Drive, beginning at 5:00 p.m. with the program beginning at 6:15 p.m.
This year’s keynote speaker is Congressman Cedric Richmond of Louisi- ana’s 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Richmond currently serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on the Judiciary. Outside of Committee service, he is Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and a member of the New Democrat Coalition.
“This has been an incredibly productive year for the CCBA in terms of development for our members, collaboration with the community, and taking a stand on issues that impact us as Chicagoans and Americans,” said Natalie Howse, president of the CCBA. “As we prepare to transition to our new leadership, we will continue to be a strong advocate for a fair and impartial judicial system, we will continue to champion issues of importance, not just for African Americans, but all Americans, and we will be a watchdog for civic, social and political issues confronting our nation.
Incoming CCBA President Pitts is employed as an attorney at the Cook County Board of Review. She has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star, an Emerging Lawyer of Illinois, and one of the 40 under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates by the National Bar Association. She is an experienced real estate and commercial law attorney, and proven leader within the Illinois Bar.
“Our organizational theme for this year, Breaking Ceilings and Building Bridges, holds true to the CCBA’s long history of advocacy, struggle and social engineering,” says Pitts. “We want to continue to facilitate that same type of revolutionary change for our members and communities today when it is sorely needed. We also want to continue to build on our community relationships and resources to foster the development necessary to grow our association and move us forward.”
Each year, the Board of the CCBA bestows awards that are reflective of the organization’s history and its past leaders. This year’s awardees are as follows:
Richard E. Westbrook Award – Bruce Jackson, Microsoft; Edward H. Wright Award – Congressman Cedric Thompson; Kenneth E. Wilson Award – Justice Cynthia Y. Cobb and Judge Marjorie C. Laws, Ret.; Ida B. Platt Award – Kimberly M. Foxx and Judge LeRoy K. Martin; Harold Washington Award – Karl Brinson, West Side NAACP; William R. Ming, Jr. Award: Cannon D. Lambert; Donald Hubert Award – Udeme V. Itiat.
Judicial Awards: Hon. Myron F. Mackoff, Hon. H. Yvonne Coleman, Hon. Adrienne E. Davis, Hon. Travis Richardson, Hon. Toya T. Harvey, Hon. D. Renee Jackson, Hon. Debra Ann Seaton, Hon. LaShonda A. Hunt, Hon. Kent A. Delgado, Hon. Stephanie D. Saltouros, Hon. Darryl J. Jones and Hon. Litricia P. Payne.
Junior Counselor Award – LeDeidre S. Turner; Senior Counselor Award – Justice Nathaniel R. Howse and Hon. Thomas R. Sumner, Ret.; Meritorious Service Award — Natasha E. Jenkins, Michelle A. Jenkins, Hon. Kristal Rivers and Raymond D. Rushing.
During the past Bar Year, the
CCBA took up issues from police involved shootings, to the challenges presented by the election of Donald J. Trump.
Tickets for the awards banquet are $150 for individuals, and sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more details visit: http://cookcountybar.org/events/register/banquet, or contact Cordelia Brown at [email protected]. Follow the CCBA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
