Commentary

Activists Criticize American Bar Association over Law School Exams

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “There’s no dignity to be found in being inadequately trained to sit for the bar exam. A mountain of debt and dim legal career prospects don’t advance the cause of social justice. The real injustice is the ABA voting against making law schools accountable for valuing black students as merely a statistic,” said Project 21 Co-Chairman Horace Cooper, a former professor of law at George Mason University.

Published

8 years ago

February 7, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Favoring diversity over quality, the American Bar Association (ABA) recently rejected a proposal to hold law schools responsible for not preparing students for the rigors of the legal profession, according to a news release critical of the association from Project 21, a leading voice of Black conservatives.

Members of the Project 21 black leadership network condemned the decision, calling for reforms that protect students who are accepted to meet social justice goals but then effectively set up to fail.

“I’ve seen too many promising black students with great potential for other fields drop out of law school because it wasn’t the right fit,” Project 21 member Dr. Carol Swain, said in a news release.

“They weren’t happy, and they ended up in serious debt because their peers and academic advisors pressured them into pursuing a high-profile legal career,” said Swain, a retired professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University and professor of politics and public policy at Princeton University.

“Law is not for everyone, yet law schools are often complicit in the name of diversity rather than being honest about an applicant’s potential,” Swain said.

At its Mid-year Meeting, the ABA House of Delegates – in an 88-334 vote – rejected a proposed change in its standards pertaining to the bar exam passage rates of law schools’ graduates that was submitted by its Section on Legal Education and Admissions.

The change to the ABA’s Standard 316 would tie a law schools’ accreditation to a requirement that 75 percent of its students pass the bar exam within two years of graduation, the Project 21 news release noted.

ABA officials did not immediately return requests for comments to NNPA Newswire.

Speaking out against the proposal, chairs of the ABA’s Goal III groups that exist “to eliminate bias and enhance diversity” in the legal profession – which include the Coalition on Race and Ethnic Justice and the Council on Diversity in the Educational Pipeline – wrote in a joint letter that the proposed standard change would have “an adverse impact upon diversity within legal education, the legal profession and the entire educational pipeline.”

They also alleged the proposal “continues to threaten attempts to diversify law schools and ultimately the legal profession” by impacting historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), schools in Puerto Rico and California and those with “large populations of diverse students,” according to Project 21.

They cited data indicating that 11 of the 19 schools at risk of losing accreditation due to a 75 percent bar success requirement have “significant” (“at least 30 percent students of color”) minority student bodies – and two are classified as HBCUs.

In an interview with Inside Higher Ed, Kaplan Bar Review Vice President Tammi Rice said: “Arguably one of the most important responsibilities of a law school is to help its students succeed on the bar exam. Keep in mind that all of the law schools that have recently shuttered or are on the verge of closing down have something in common: a low bar passage rate.”

Project 21, in its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” said it recognizes a disproportionate six-year undergraduate graduation rate for black students in contrast with their white, Asian and Hispanic counterparts.

“Colleges are admitting many black students who are unprepared for rigorous college environments,” the Blueprint points out.

“At the same time, colleges are failing to provide black students with the individualized support they need to overcome the deficiencies of their K-12 educations to give them their best chance of success.”

This similarly applies to law schools that accept minority students to meet diversity goals but fail to provide them with the tools and guidance to succeed after they are enrolled, Project 21 officials said.

“The American Bar Association is doing minority students a disservice by allowing them to be promoted through an educational system that fails to prepare them for a career in law,” said Project 21 Co-Chairman Horace Cooper, a former professor of law at George Mason University.

“There’s no dignity to be found in being inadequately trained to sit for the bar exam. A mountain of debt and dim legal career prospects don’t advance the cause of social justice. The real injustice is the ABA voting against making law schools accountable for valuing black students as merely a statistic,” Cooper said.

Among its recommendations for increasing black student success in higher education, Project 21’s Blueprint calls for requiring schools to meet minimum graduation rate standards to qualify for federal financial aid, preventing federal student financial aid programs from fueling tuition inflation and providing additional infrastructure, renovation and improvement funding to HBCUs that also commit to meeting the same minimum graduation standards recommended for all colleges receiving federal financial aid.

“It is irresponsible for the American Bar Association delegates to think they are benefiting black students and the legal profession by not holding law schools accountable for graduates who cannot pass the bar exam,” Swain said.

“Schools that fail their students should find their accreditation at risk – not be propped up because they help achieve racial goals.”

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Black History

IN MEMORIAM: The Rev. Leon “Sonny” Clark, Longtime Orange County Pastor and Community Leader, Dies at 72

Rev. Leon William “Sonny” Clark, the longtime pastor of New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana and a prominent faith and community leader in Orange County, passed away on September 9 at the age of 72. Born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Clark was a U.S. Navy veteran who dedicated his life to service. He served various Southern California churches before leading New Spirit Baptist Church for over 22 years, extending his work into counseling, mentoring, and civic engagement, and supporting the African American community. To learn more about his life and contributions, read more.

Published

6 days ago

September 28, 2026

Post News Group

The Rev. Leon “Sonny” Clark. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Rev. Leon William “Sonny” Clark, longtime pastor of New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana and a respected faith and community leader in Orange County, died Sept. 9. He was 72.

Born Oct. 2, 1953, in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Clark was a U.S. Navy veteran who later built a life of service centered on family, faith, ministry, and community.

Clark began his formal ministry at Metropolitan Baptist Church in Altadena in 1978. After acknowledging his call to ministry in 1980, he preached his first sermon and went on to serve churches throughout Southern California, including Second Baptist Church in Riverside, Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Rubidoux, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Pomona, and Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda.

In November 2003, Clark was called to lead New Spirit Baptist Church in Santa Ana, where he served as pastor for more than 22 years. His work extended beyond the pulpit through counseling, mentoring, civic engagement, and efforts to strengthen Orange County’s African American community.

Clark served on the Orange County Heritage Council and supported efforts to preserve and celebrate African American history and culture. He helped organize the Orange County Black History Parade and Unity Festival, served on the Interfaith Committee and the Orange County Transit Authority, and served as president of the Orange County Ministers Conference.

In 2024, the City of Santa Ana recognized Clark for his contributions to the community. He also received the Orange County Southern Baptist Association Hall of Faith Award and was previously honored as Pastor of the Year by the Orange County Heritage Council.

Clark is survived by his wife, Andrea Joyles Clark; six children, Shawn Williams, Le Ondra Clark Harvey, Kyla Coward, Joshua Clark, Marissa Clark and Ashley Clark; grandchildren and great-grandchildren; siblings; extended family; and the New Spirit Baptist Church congregation.

A wake will be held Thursday, Oct. 1, from 4 to 8 p.m. at New Spirit Baptist Church, 701 S. Sullivan St. in Santa Ana, with a remembrance service from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, Oct. 2, at Friendship Baptist Church, 17145 Bastanchury Road in Yorba Linda. Viewing begins at noon, followed by the service at 1 p.m.

Burial will take place Monday, Oct. 5, at 10:15 a.m. at Riverside National Cemetery.

Clark often shared a guiding principle that shaped his ministry: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

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Black History

Remembering Chauncey Bailey as Student Journalists Face Threats to Truth-Telling

Nearly two decades ago, Oakland Post reporter and editor-in-chief Chauncey Bailey was tragically murdered for investigating a crooked business. His assassination shocked the journalism world and is remembered as student journalists today face increasing threats and censorship. A former classmate of Bailey and chair of the Student Press Law Center notes a significant rise in calls from students seeking legal advice amid a hostile environment. This situation highlights the importance of protecting young journalists and their pursuit of truth. Read more to learn about Bailey’s legacy and current challenges facing student press.

Published

6 days ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

By Steven A. Holmes Special to The Post

It is nearly 20 years since Chauncey Bailey, a crusading journalist, was murdered

on an Oakland street corner, gunned down to prevent him from writing stories about a

crooked business.

I hope people remember Bailey, a reporter and editor-in-chief for the

Oakland Post, the city’s Black newspaper. He had already written several articles about

the problems of a business called Your Muslim Bakery and was working on another

when the bakery’s owner ordered an employee to kill Bailey.

His murder shocked the journalism world that found the idea of an American

reporter killed for doing his job unfathomable. For me, the shock and sadness were also

personal.

I knew Bailey. In the mid-1970s we were classmates in the Michelle Clark Memorial

Foundation program, the precursor to the Institute for Journalism Education Summer

Program. A program, backed by the Ford Foundation, that provided intensive training

for fledgling minority journalism students and then placed them in jobs at newspapers

and television stations.

I’m reminded of Bailey and that program when I visit the East Bay at the end of

September to discuss the future of student journalism. To me, the visit will not only

evoke memories of Bailey. It will also be an opportunity to hone strategies to protect and

support student journalists who are under attack today, maybe not in the way that took away Chauncey Bailey, but an attack, nonetheless.

Spurred by the hostility toward the free press emanating out of Washington, high

school and college journalists are facing a barrage of censorship and harassment from

school administrators and local officials.

The 24-hour hotline staffed by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), the non-profit I chair, has seen a 35% increase in calls from student journalists seeking legal advice on censorship, libel and copyright issues during the past two years, as well as a tripling in the number of complaints of harassment, including threats of firing, of faculty advisors.

I am not suggesting today’s national climate is as dangerous as the murderous

intentions of Yusef Bey IV, the man who ordered Bailey’s assassination. But the

harassment of student journalists does kill something else. It can destroy the desire of

student journalists to continue their growth to become professional news gatherers and

producers – something the country will always need.

It is that professional maturation that I’m reminded of when I think back on Chauncey

Bailey.

Truth be told, when we were classmates back in 1974 Bailey was the class clown,

known more for his sardonic wit than his writing or reporting talent. I have vivid

memories of Bailey sitting at his desk in the back of the room regaling us with sarcastic

comments. Sure, he was funny.

And he didn’t exhibit the level of reporting skills of our other classmates such as Milton Coleman who went on to be the Deputy Managing Editor of the Washington Post or Alexis Scott who for years has run the Atlanta Daily World.

After a series of reporting jobs in Hartford, Connecticut, Detroit, Michigan, and Oakland, Bailey had risen in talent and skill to helm this very newspaper. A tip from a source led Bailey to look into the possibility that Bey was running Your Muslim Bakery into bankruptcy. Word that Bailey was working on that story filtered back to Bey who ordered the journalist killed.

On August 2, 2007, Bailey was shot three times at point-blank range as he walked to work.

So, when I think of my trip to the East Bay my thoughts go to journalism’s past

represented by Chauncey Bailey’s sacrifice and what the staff and the board of SPLC

can do to secure the current and future work of student journalists.

Steven A. Holmes is a former Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. His novel “Black Messiahs” was published in May this year.