S.O.S.---Save Our Sons. Exploring the Legacies of Oscar Grant and Trayvon Martin
Topic Intro:
The Honorable Kevin Johnson, Mayor, City of Sacramento
Mayor
Johnson was born and raised in Sacramento, California. Mayor Johnson was a standout dual sport
athlete in baseball and basketball while he attended Sacramento High
School. Mayor Johnson was drafted by the
Oakland A’s of Major League Baseball but flourished as a basketball All-Star with
the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. Mayor Johnson has
distinguished himself as an educator by founding St. Hope Public Schools, a
very successful charter school system. Mayor Johnson is currently serving in
his second term as mayor of the City of Sacramento. Mayor Johnson is an alumnus
of the University of California, Berkeley.
Attorney Robert Harris, Former President, National Bar Association
Former Grand Sire Archon Robert Harris, is an attorney and
business leader who for thirty-four years served as legal counsel and corporate
vice-president to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco. Robert
has the distinction of having been selected by his peers to serve as the “head”
of the National Bar Association(“President”); Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity,
Incorporated (“Grand Polemarch”) and our own Sigma Pi Phi (“Grand Sire
Archon”). Attorney Harris is a lawyer’s
lawyer and has the distinction of having appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court
on behalf of P.G. and E winning a landmark free speech case. Attorney
Harris is an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall)
School of Law.
Attorney James Cole, Former President, National Bar Association
Grand Sire Archon-Elect James (Jim) Cole is an alumnus of
Harvard Law School and an attorney who for most of his early career served as associate
counsel to the Clorox Corporation in Oakland, California. Attorney Cole is a
former National Bar Association president and has relocated to south Florida to
serve as the general counsel; senior vice-president and secretary to
AutoNation, Incorporated. Attorney Cole
has been a tremendous asset to the communities of Oakland, California and Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Panelists:
The Honorable Steven Bradford,
California Assemblyman 62 District,
Chair, Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color
Assembly
member Bradford represents the sixty-second Assembly District of California
which includes the cities of Gardena and Inglewood, among others. Assembly
member Bradford chairs the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce.
Additionally, Mr. Bradford
serves as the Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and
Men of Color in California. The Select
Committee has been tasked by the Legislature to address the many barriers and
inequalities in the areas of health, education, employment, violence prevention
and youth development that lead California’s young men of color to fail. Assembly
member Bradford is an alumnus of California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The Honorable Elihu M. Harris, Former Mayor, City of Oakland
Elihu Harris is the former two-term mayor of the City of
Oakland and a former six-term member of the California Assembly, where he
chaired the Assembly Judiciary Committee for many years. Mayor Harris, an
attorney, completed his public service career as the Chancellor of the Peralta
Community College District. Mayor Harris
is a successful business leader in Oakland and Berkeley, California where he
has owned two radio stations and has continued with his wife to operate his
family’s funeral business which has remained in his family for well over fifty
years. Mayor Harris is an alumnus of University of California, Davis School of
Law (Martin Luther King, Jr. Hall).
The Honorable Gary Ransom, California Superior Court Judge (Retired)
Judge Ransom served the residents of Sacramento, California
as a Superior Court Judge since 1988.
Prior to his election to the Superior Court, Judge Ransom first served
as Municipal Court judge appointed by former, and current, California Governor
Jerry Brown. Judge Ransom is a graduate of Rutgers University and the
University of the Pacific (McGeorge) School of Law. Judge Ransom’s is a
recognized criminal law expert.
Attorney Jon Streeter, Former President, California State Bar Association
Attorney Streeter is the immediate past-president of the
State Bar of California. Attorney
Streeter’s specialty is complex civil litigation and he is a partner in Keker
and Van Nest, LLP in San Francisco.
Prior to joining Keker, Jon was the first African-American partner at
Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe, LLP in San Francisco. Among his many
accomplishments, Jon continues to enjoy a distinguished career as a champion
for justice and has one of the most extensive pro bono law practices in
America. Attorney Streeter has been selected as one of the best lawyers in
America and currently advises both United States Senator Barbra Boxer and
California Governor Jerry Brown on judicial appointments. Attorney Streeter is an
alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law.
Mr. Rory Kaufman, California Assembly Speaker's Office
Mr. Kaufman
serves as a Consultant within the California Assembly Speaker’s Office of
Member Services. Additionally, Mr. Kaufman is a member of the Board of
Directors of the “Black Youth Leadership Project” and has for a period in
excess of forty years has lectured extensively on the empowerment and
leadership development of African-American youth. Mr. Kaufman is a military
veteran and has served as an officer of the Sacramento NAACP.
Attorney John Burris,
Civil Rights Lawyer
Attorney Burris is recognized as the consummate civil rights
lawyer in the state of California. Attorney Burris serves as a legal technical
analyst on MSNBC; Fox News; CNN; Court TV and many Bay Area local stations. Mr.
Burris served several family members of the late Oscar Grant by filing a $25
million wrongful death suit against the Bay Area Rapid Transit District on
their behalf. Previously, Mr. Burris has successfully represented Tupac Shakur;
Jason Kid; Gary Payton and Barry Bonds among others. Attorney Burris is an
eloquent public speaker; an accomplished author and a very successful trial
lawyer. Attorney Burris is an
alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law.
Mr. Eric M. Harris, Third Year Student, University of Oregon School of Law
Eric is a
third year law student at the University of Oregon School of Law where he is a
“Knight Scholar” named for the family of the founder of Nike. Eric is the
Founder of Tomorrow’s Today, a non-profit organization focused on bringing
disabled and able-bodied athletes together to mentor young men and women. Prior
to attending Oregon Law, Eric was a full scholarship athlete and member of the
men’s wheelchair basketball team at the University of Arizona. Additionally, Eric was a member of the United
States Men’s Under-20 Wheelchair Basketball team that competed and was
victorious in Melbourne, Australia. During 2012, Eric worked on President
Obama’s re-election while interning at the Democratic National Committee in
Washington, D.C. Mr. Harris’ father is a member of Sigma Pi Phi.
Mr. Martin T. Harris,
Student, University of California, Merced, Intern, U.S. Olympic Committee
He is an
All-Conference basketball player at the University of California, Merced.
Martin Grew up in Sacramento where he attended Christian Brothers High School
and was an all-conference member of the men’s basketball team that played for
the regional championship. During this past summer, Martin who studied
Mandarin, was a coach at the Nike Youth Sports Camp in Shanghai, China. Martin
is currently an intern at the United States Olympic Committee in Washington,
D.C. and is the son of a member of Sigma Pi Phi. Martin is a board member and
officer of Tomorrow’s Today.
Mr. Asa Jackson, Member, Baltimore Ravens Football Team
Asa Jackson
is a member of the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens Football Team of the
National Football League. Prior to
joining the Ravens, Mr. Jackson attended Christian Brothers High School in
Sacramento, California where he was a standout in football; track and field and
basketball. Upon graduating from Christian Brothers, Asa attended California
Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (“Cal Poly”) where he was a
standout cornerback and kick returner. During college, Asa played in 43 games
starting in 42 of them! Asa is an officer with the non-profit organization
Tomorrow’s Today and both his father and his fraternal grandfather (deceased)
are members of Sigma Pi Phi.
Mr. Adrian Speed, Kevin Hart's Code Black Entertainment
Mr. Speed is
an office manager with comedian Kevin Hart’s Code Black Entertainment in Los
Angeles, California. Mr. Speed is an
member of the Board of Directors with Tomorrow’s Today. Mr. Speed’s specialty is the management of
social media systems. Mr. Speed was raised in Sacramento where he was a track
and field athlete and attended Christian Brothers High School. Mr. Speed is a
graduate of Arizona State University.
Attorney Chester (Chet) McGensy III,
Rabbobank
Archon McGensy is a vice president and attorney with Rabbobank in Roseville, Ca. Chet was educated at Occidental College wher ehe was awarded a B.A. and the University of San Francisco School of Law which conferred upon him a J.D. Chet was raised in Fresno, California, where his parents still reside. Prior to joining Rabbobank, Chet was an associate with Bingham McCutchen, LLP where he specialized in advising business clients.
William "Jahmal" Miller, California Department of Public Health
Archon Miller serves as the Deputy Director, California Department of Public Health as an appointee of Governor Jerry Brown. Jahmal is a graduate of Columbia University where he received his B.S. and the University of Southern California where he was awarded his Masters in Public Health. Jahmal is married to Kim who is an Olympic gold medalist in Track and Field and the women's track coach at the University of California, Davis.
Moderator:
Professor Mark T. Harris, Esq., UC Merced Management Program, President, New Faze Development Company
Professor Harris serves the dual
roles as a faculty member within the Gallo Management Program at the University
of California, Merced and as the President of New Faze Development Company in
Sacramento, California. Professor Harris
, a licensed attorney, served in the Clinton Administration as the Deputy Chief
of Staff to the late Ronald H. Brown at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additionally, Professor Harris served as the
Undersecretary for Business, Transportation and Housing under former California
Governor Grey Davis. Attorney Harris is
an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of
Law.
