THE ORGANIZERS
"I am no longer accepting the things I change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." -Angela Davis
To be an attorney means entering spaces that have historically been inaccessible to marginalized communities. These organizers explain how they use their legal experience to elevate and give back to communities.
Index
Charlyn Stanberry: From Florida to the Hill
Francys Johnson: From the Farmhouse to the Courthouse
Richard Garzola, Jr.: From the Gridiron to Georgetown Law
Charlyn Stanberry
From Florida to the Hill
A Jacksonville native, Charlyn Stanberry was always interested in politics. It was a mentor who encouraged Charlyn to pursue a career in law. From that fateful moment, Charlyn has used her leadership to lead law students and organizations like the National Black Law Students Association, serving as the Southern Regional Chair. Throughout her interview, Charlyn mentions "BLSA," which is an acronym for the Black Law Students Association.
Jacksonville, Florida is the birthplace of James Weldon Johnson: an iconic attorney, educator, and organizer. In this clip, Ms. Stanberry relates her legacy as a daughter of Jacksonville to the legacy of James Weldon Johnson.
To lead an organization is to know the spirit and importance of that organization. In this clip, Ms. Stanberry explains how BLSA can help law students both while they are in school and throughout their careers.
Francys Johnson
From the Farmhouse to the Courthouse
Francys Johnson has led a storied career and shows no signs of slowing any time soon. From a young age, his family instilled in him a sense of justice and equity, involving Francys in a lawsuit to prohibit schools in southern Georgia from practicing de facto segregation. As he grew older, first going through his undergraduate studies and becoming a pastor, then going to law school to become an attorney, Francys lent his leadership and moral compass to organizations like the National Black Law Students Association and the NAACP both locally and nationally.
When Francys Johnson was young, Brown v. Board had already outlawed de jure, or legal, segregation. However, segregation remained in schools in the South. In this clip, Mr. Johnson explains his interaction with a class action lawsuit that helped prevent schools from separating children on the basis of race.
Francys Johnson is both a pastor and a lawyer. In this clip, he explains why he chose Africana and religious studies as his foundation before law school.
Richard Garzola, Jr.
From the Gridiron to Georgetown Law
Richard Garzola, Jr. is a first-generation college student who navigated the halls of higher education almost entirely on his own. From earning an athletic scholarship to graduating from one of the top law programs in the country, Richard's journey to become an attorney is marked with poignant lessons of why he became an advocate for his community.
Richard Garzola served as the National Chair of the National Black Law Students Association. In this clip, he explains what being an organizer means to him.
During the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday, a Black teenager named Jordan Davis was in a car with his friends, playing music. When the teens stopped at a gas station, a white man started shooting at the car, claiming the music was too loud. Jordan Davis was murdered, and he was only 17 years old. In this clip, Mr. Garzola explains his connection to the tragedy and how it motivated him to become an attorney.
Bidtah Becker
From the Navajo Nation
Bidtah Beck is a citizen of the Navajo Nation. After growing up with a father who was an attorney, Bidtah did not think about joining the profession when she was young. However, because of her experience as a Native woman and her relationship with the federal government, over time she began to understand that one way to serve her community was to understand how the laws worked and the layers of jurisdictions she lived under.
In her introduction, Ms. Becker explained where she lived by explaining her relationship to the land. In this clip, she explains her terminology.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court decided Arizona v. Navajo Nation, which was a case that evaluated a treaty from 1868 regarding the Navajo Nation's right to access water from the Colorado River. In this clip, Ms. Becker explains what the case means to her and provides insight for aspiring Native American attorneys.
Khyla Craine
From the Pages of History to Living It
Khyla Craine is a Michigan native. When it was time to consider going to college, she focused her search on HBCUs before landing at South Carolina State University. While there, Khyla became involved on campus, eventually leading the collegiate chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as president for three years. Over time, she came to appreciate the work the organization did in the past and in the present.
At the time of the recording, Khyla served as the Deputy Legal Director of the Michigan Department of State. In her interview, she explains what the Secretary of State's office does, including how the office's work impacts voting. Briefly, she discusses her experience in the 2020 pandemic and election cycle.
Ms. Craine has deep connections to the NAACP. In this clip, she contextualizes the work the NAACP has done in the past and why the organization is still active today.
During the interview, Ms. Craine mentioned how movement leaders' stories are usually the stories that make history. In this clip, Ms. Craine reflects on some of the lesser known roles in movements and how vital every person is to social change.