The George W. Crawford Black Bar Association ("Crawford") currently represents more than 20,000 law students, teachers, lawyers, and judges within the law profession. Andrew Crumbie, owner of the largest Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) in New England is a member and strong supporter of Crawford and what the organization stands for. As the oldest and the largest statewide affiliate of the National Bar Association for people of color, Crawford has grown significantly since its inception in August of 1977 when a small group of black lawyers came together to discuss forming an organization for people of color in the legal profession.
In November of 1977, during the first official meeting of what the organization was then named, the Greater Hartford Black Law Society, a main area of concern arose in addressing the low percentage of black lawyers practicing in Connecticut. An informal survey suggested that there were currently less than 5% of attorneys of color practicing in the state. Furthermore, the small group expressed concern about the disproportionally low bar passage rate for Blacks which led to the decision to make the improvement of both statistics a top priority in their society.
Crawford changed its name to the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association in 2003 in order to better represent the identity and purpose of the organization to those throughout the legal profession. To this day, members of the society such as Andrew Crumbie remain steadfast in its original purpose to enhance the role of blacks in the legal profession. They achieve this through focusing much-needed attention on social, legal, and political issues that affect members of the black community, providing interaction between society members and members of other black organizations, and taking on programs and projects that promote these goals throughout the state of Connecticut.
In November of 1977, during the first official meeting of what the organization was then named, the Greater Hartford Black Law Society, a main area of concern arose in addressing the low percentage of black lawyers practicing in Connecticut. An informal survey suggested that there were currently less than 5% of attorneys of color practicing in the state. Furthermore, the small group expressed concern about the disproportionally low bar passage rate for Blacks which led to the decision to make the improvement of both statistics a top priority in their society.
Crawford changed its name to the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association in 2003 in order to better represent the identity and purpose of the organization to those throughout the legal profession. To this day, members of the society such as Andrew Crumbie remain steadfast in its original purpose to enhance the role of blacks in the legal profession. They achieve this through focusing much-needed attention on social, legal, and political issues that affect members of the black community, providing interaction between society members and members of other black organizations, and taking on programs and projects that promote these goals throughout the state of Connecticut.