Navigation Virgil Hawkins Chapter celebrates 70 years of legal advocacy at sold-out gala
Brendalyn Edwards, center, was sworn in as president of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association at its 70th Anniversary Gala at The Boca Raton Resort on June 28. Edwards urged members to get involved with and support various outreach initiatives such as mentorship programs for aspiring attorneys and free legal clinics to assist underserved communities. Her theme for the upcoming year is “Strengthening Our Power Through Unity.”
The Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association (VHFCNBA) held its 70th Anniversary Gala at The Boca Raton Resort on June 28. The organization — named after civil rights attorney Virgil D. Hawkins, who led the effort to desegregate the University of Florida College of Law in 1949 — was established in 1955 to advance equality in the legal profession and the justice system.
The gala’s theme was “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” and welcomed lawyers, judges, elected officials, community leaders, and legal professionals from across the country to a sold-out event of nearly 400 attendees. For the first time in its history, the organization presented 30 Medals of Honor to attorneys and judges for their leadership and advocacy to advance a more equitable and diverse legal system, and two Trailblazer Awards to Detra Shaw-Wilder, who was recently appointed a magistrate judge in the Southern District of Florida, and to Florida Bar President Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes. The VHFCNBA Trailblazer Award honors a member of The Florida Bar with more than 15 years of exemplary service, whose career reflects the legacy and pioneering spirit of Virgil Hawkins.
