Honoring D. Augustus Straker's Legacy |
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
As part of this commitment, we are starting a “Shoulders of Giants” series. This series originates from the quote “If I can see further, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.” Through this series, we will build on and preserve the history and knowledge of our “giants” in the law through a series of conference calls, informal dinners and other methods of communication that connect seasoned legal professionals in our membership with newer members of the bar in our membership, so that we can all learn from each other and grow stronger as a professional body. | News
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I am honored and feel privileged to be the 28th president of D. Augustus Straker Bar Association. As a first-generation American and daughter of Caribbean parents, I immediately identified with David Augustus Straker on reading his biography and wish to preserve his legacy. I also feel that we all have an obligation to support those that are newly entering the legal profession, our community, and our pre-existing brothers and sisters in the law. This obligation is represented by the three sides of the Straker Bar logo, which align with Straker Bar’s commitment to the students, the community, and the membership. 
MICHIGAN LAWYERS IN HISTORY
David Augustus Straker by Carrie Sharlow
The state of Michigan was built by the lumber and auto industries, agriculture, and the lawyers who lived, studied, and practiced here. The articles in this occasional series highlight some of those lawyers and judges and their continuing influence on this great state.
On December 31, 2000, Detroit officials opened a time capsule compiled 100 years earlier by former city mayor William Maybury. The box contained approximately 30 letters from prominent Detroit citizens with predictions of the future. One of those citizens, an attorney who knew of the prejudice of which he wrote, predicted “the sunlight of a more perfect understanding of man will drive out the demon prejudice and when the 21st century arrives he will find no resting place in the beautiful city of the straits.”1 In his lifetime, D. Augustus Straker brought his own measure of “sunlight” to Michigan.