Powell Center Hosts Dr. Derrick Bell, Jr. and Rev. James A. Forbes, Jr. for New York Life Lecture

Two American institutions have played historically pre-eminent roles in advancing Black rights and interests: the U.S. legal system and the African-American churches. Yet since the 1980s, the capacity of these two forces to promote change has come increasingly into question. How has their role changed in recent decades? What, if anything, needs to be done to revitalize these institutions to contribute to racial justice and African-American advancement?

On December 4, 2007, Dr. Derrick A. Bell, Jr., one of the nation's leading civil rights scholars, and Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., noted interfaith leader, addressed these questions during the inaugural New York Life Colloquium on Emerging African American Issues. More about the speakers . The event, entitled "The Courts, The Churches, and African Americans: Legacy and Contemporary Challenges," was the first of twice-annual series of lectures made possible by the New York Life Endowment for Emerging African-American Issues.

During his remarks, Dr. Bell offered a sober assessment of the prospects for future civil rights advances. Not only have hard-won rights suffered from a lack of enforcement, he suggested, but they are also vulnerable to sacrifice to competing interests. He cited Georgia’s recently upheld voter ID law as an example of an established right being undermined to discourage Democratic black voter turnout. He also noted that both political parties have been reluctant to address issues important to blacks, and urged African Americans to align their interests with those of immigrants and working-class whites. “The situation is never hopeless,” he added.

Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr. stressed the historic role of the black churches in the quest for civil rights. He also emphasized the role of the church as a catalyst toward encouraging political engagement. Rev. Forbes also noted the crucial role that the churches have played as witnesses to individual and collective civil-rights struggles.

Rev. Dr. Eugene Callender, the Center's leader-in-residence, moderated the panel discussion.