Vision, service and legacy
MBBA President Nicole Lester Arrindell, Esq., told the Brooklyn Eagle that while the night was an opportunity to celebrate legal leaders, it was also the perfect platform to amplify MBBA’s legacy.
“We have had 42 years of excellence, advancing justice, building community amongst lawyers of color in particular, but we’re also an organization that’s been open to all and has advocated for all,” Lester Arrindell said. “I think in today’s times, you really need to have a little bit of joy and celebration among all of the things that are happening in the world.”
Lisa Arrindell, emcee for the evening, said that for the past two years, Lester Arrindell has led the MBBA with “passion, purpose and grace.”
From left: Hon. Lisa Daley, MBBA President Nicole Lester Arrindell, Hon. Inga O’Neale and President-elect Justina Rivera. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
“Under her leadership, the organization has strengthened its voice,” Arrindell said. “Nicole’s presidency has been rooted in vision, service and legacy.”
MBBA President-elect Justina Rivera, Esq., told the Eagle that when she becomes president in June, her primary goal is to “build upon the organization’s legacy.”
“There is work to do right now, and we can’t come down,” she said. “We can’t be distracted. We have to make sure that people have a sense of conviction and courage. I’m really hoping to bring optimism and resolve for us to continue to do the work.”
From left: Hon. Paul Wooten, Hon. Cheryl Gonzales, Taa Grays, Esq., Hon. Lola Waterman and Rev. Dr. Robert Waterman. Photo: Wayne Daren Schneiderman/Brooklyn Eagle
Providing a voice for Black legal professionals
The MBBA’s purpose is to enhance the status of the lawyer and in particular Black and other minority lawyers; encourage research and the preparation of papers, documents and reports on legal issues affecting the citywide Black community; foster the study of law; encourage the personal and professional development of young lawyers and law students; cooperate with other legal societies and groups; and advance public relations with governmental agencies, lawyers of other nations and the public in general.
The MBBA was created through the merger of the historic Harlem Lawyers Association, founded in 1921, and the Bedford-Stuyvesant Lawyers Association, founded in 1933. In 2017, the Bronx Black Bar Association also merged into the organization, expanding its citywide reach.
The MBBA is also an affiliate of the National Bar Association, the nation’s oldest and largest network of predominantly Black attorneys and judges.