SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A speaker series at McGeorge School of Law in Oak Park will honor the life and legacy of Nathaniel S. Colley, Sr. — the first African American attorney in Sacramento.
The series is being co-sponsored by the Sacramento County Bar Association (SCBA), Wiley Manuel Bar Association (WMBA) and California Association of Black Lawyers (CABL). It will feature a panel discussion and a documentary screening that highlights Nathaniel Colley's advocacy for justice and equality.
Colley was born on Nov. 21, 1918 in Carlowsville, Alabama. He grew up in Snow Hill, Alabama and studied chemistry and graduated from Tuskegee Institute in 1941. He later served in the United States Army as a Captain of a chemistry company during World War II.
In 1948, Colley graduated from Yale Law School with honors. That same year, he moved to Sacramento. He soon opened his own law practice as Sacramento's only African American attorney.
As a civil rights attorney, Colley persuaded the United States Supreme Court that developers who received federal funds could not engage in discrimination. He also fought against housing and educational discrimination in California.
Colley was a member and leader of civil rights organizations too, like the NAACP. In 1960, he became the first African American to serve on the California State Board of Education. The list of service to our communities, accomplishments and accolades goes on.
Colley passed away from brain cancer on May 20, 1992 at his home in Elk Grove. He was 74 years old. For 50 years, he worked to make a positive change.
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The Bar Associations, being SCBA, WMBA and CABL, are using the speaker series to reintroduce all communities to the civil rights hero.
The three-day event started on Mon., Oct. 30. The other event dates include Monday, Nov. 6 and Monday Nov. 13. The documentary screening and panel discussions are being held in the Lecture Hall at McGeorge School of Law. It runs from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Same-day registration is available on-site with $30 to attend the event.
Oct. 30 Panelists:
- Amreet Sandu, Bilingual Outreach & Training Librarian, Sacramento County Law Library
- Gary Lindsey Jr., Asst. Sacramento City Attorney, Grandson of Nathaniel Colley
- Chis Lango, Producer/Researcher including "The Time is Now: Nathaniel Colley" as seen on KVIE Public Television
Nov. 6 Panelists:
- Prof. Al Brown, Sacramento County Office of Education, son-in-law of Nathaniel Colley
- Dan Visnich, Historian/Preservationist
- John Burris, Civil Rights Attorney, Past President California Association of Black Lawyers
- Robert Harris, Attorney/Leader and Former President, National Bar Association
- Clarence Caesar, Historian
Nov. 13 Panelists:
- Jesse Morris, Attorney, shared office space in Nathaniel Colley's law practice
- Nathaniel Colley Jr., Attorney, Son of Nathaniel Colley
- Windie Scott, Past president SCBA, WMBA, WLS and former State Bar Trustee
- Judge Troy Nunley, U.S. District Court Judge
- Chief Daniel Hahn, Retired Police Chief, Sacramento Police Department
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