CBA Record April-May 2018

The 2018 Earl B. Dickerson Awards

By Nina Fain Editorial Board Member F or many years during Black History Month, the CBA has sponsored the Earl B. Dickerson Awards in recognition of the achievements of the extraordinary African American lawyer who argued Hansberry v. Lee ( 311 U.S. 32 (1940)) in the U.S. Supreme Court. Lee was the landmark case that challenged the validity of racially restrictive covenants in real estate transactions. Although Dick- erson was best known in legal circles for this incredible victory, history shows that his success in the Supreme Court was only one of several exceptional accomplish- ments during his career. Although Black History Month traditionally celebrates the role of the African American popula- tion’s contributions to the greatness of our country, it is undisputed that regardless of Dickerson’s race, in many ways he was prima inter pares –the first among equals, whether Black, Caucasian or Latino. Thus, it is fitting that we reflect on a few of the major achievements of his life. Earl B. Dickerson–A 20th Century Lifetime of Groundbreaking Achievements After serving as a U.S. Army officer in the European theater in WWI, Earl Dick- erson returned home to the University of Chicago to complete his legal studies in 1920. He became the first African American to earn a doctorate of law degree there. In 1921, Dickerson became the General Counsel to the Supreme Life Insurance Company, arguably the larg- est Black- owned insurance company in America. Later, he founded a law firm with fellow law school classmate Wen- dell E. Green, who later became a Cook County Circuit Judge. Dickerson had ample opportunity to observe the racism and injustice that per- meated Chicago’s institutions. As a result, he started to become politically active in a fledgling civil rights movement. In 1927,

Dickerson, as a proponent of self reliance for people of color, became instrumental in establishing Burr Oak Cemetery , one of the few African American cemeteries in the northern United States. Not to be deterred by the dire economic circumstances that befell Blacks during the Great Depression , Dickerson helped persuade Supreme Life to intervene with a bankrupt owner to save the cemetery after the Burr Oak principals defaulted on its mortgage. In 1939, Earl Dickerson became the first Black Democrat to serve on the Chi- cago City Council. It was in the following year that he won the U.S. Supreme Court victory in the landmark Lee case. The case was recognized not only for its legal precedent, but also because it involved the home purchased by Chicago real estate broker Carl A. Hansberry , father

of Lorraine Hansberry , the noted Black playwright. Carl Hansberry had borrowed the purchase price from the Supreme Life Insurance Company. By 1952, Dickerson had become the president of Supreme Life Insurance Company. In that role, he helped many people and established employment policies that were ahead of their time. An example of one of Dickerson’s employment initiatives involved one of his vice presidents, Watson Jefferson. In the early 1960s, Jefferson hired Rubye Hunley, a Chicago Urban League management trainee who had been recommended to him by Etta Moten, the legendary Black “Porgy and Bess” Broadway actress. In those challenging times, before the pas- sage of anti-discrimination and public accommodations laws, it was customary for Blacks to help each other find homes

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