Special Keynote Speaker: James E. White, City of Detroit Police Chief
The Wade H. McCree, Jr. Award for the Advancement of Social Justice honors individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the advancement of social justice.
It is named in memory and honor of Wade H. McCree, Jr. Judge McCree was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree at Fisk University and his law degree at Harvard Law School, where he finished twelfth in his class. He began his legal career at the Detroit firm of Bledsoe and Taylor in 1948. In 1952, he was appointed by Governor G. Mennen Williams to the Workmen’s Compensation Commission, where he served until 1954, when Governor Williams appointed him to the Wayne County Circuit Court. Judge McCree was then appointed by President John F. Kennedy to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1961, and by President Lyndon B. Johnson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in 1966. Judge McCree resigned from the Sixth Circuit in March 1977 to accept appointment by President Jimmy Carter as Solicitor General of the United States.
Wade McCree served as Solicitor General until June 1981, when he was appointed the Lewis M. Simes Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, where he taught until his death. While a member of the University of Michigan Law School faculty, Professor McCree was appointed by the United States Supreme Court to hear three cases as a Special Master.
Judge McCree cared deeply about education. A founder of the Higher Education Opportunities Committee at Wayne State University and a founding trustee of Friends School in Detroit, he was a Trustee at Fisk University and a member of the Visiting School Committees of Harvard Law School and Mercer University Law School. He also served as an Overseer of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School and on the Visiting Committees of the Law Schools at Wayne State University, the University of Chicago, Case Western Reserve University and the University of Miami.
Judge McCree’s service to the legal profession and the community included active membership on more than 50 committees, councils and boards. He also was a Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and served on the Board of the Detroit Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, as well as on the boards of numerous charitable and cultural organizations.
The Chapter’s McCree Award for the Advancement of Social Justice is nationally acknowledged as one of the most prestigious awards in recognition of contribution to the community.
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We are extremely pleased to present this year’s award to: Erica Peresman
1990 George W. Crockett & Dennis W. Archer
1991 Ernest Goodman
1992 Mildred Jeffrey
1995 Damon J. Keith
1996 George W. Romney
1997 Fr. William Cunningham
1998 William G. Milliken
1999 Maryann Mahaffey
2001 Alternatives for Girls
2002 Saul A. Green
2003 Eleanor M. Josaitis
2004 Friends School of Detroit
2005 Eugene Driker
2006 Freedom House
2007 Father Norman P. Thomas
2008 Jack Kresnak
2009 The “Neal Legal Team”
2010 Mary Sue Coleman
2011 Kathleen Straus
2012 Martin I. Reisig
2013 Florise Neville-Ewell & PBJ Outreach
2014 Dr. Daniel H. Krichbaum
2015 John Van Camp
2016 Former United States Senator Carl Levin
2017 Mark Davidoff
2018 Faith Fowler
2019 Kary L. Moss
2020 Hon. Avern Cohn
2021 Legal Aid Clinic
2022: Erica Peresman
The Criteria: Significant Contributions to the Advancement of Social Justice.
These contributions may include advancing social justice in areas involving poverty, promoting economic or educational opportunity, or fighting discrimination involving race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or economic status. The recipient may be selected from any field of endeavor including law, social service, community organization, volunteer activities, journalism, academics or the like.
Nominations for the 2021 McCree Award should be submitted to Chapter Executive Director Mindy Herrmann at fbamich@fbamich.org and Committee Chair Cynthia Haffey at haffey@butzel.com.
Keynote Speaker:
James E. White, a 24-year veteran at the Detroit Police Department, served as Assistant Chief since 2012 and in leadership positions for most of his tenure. White led the Detroit Police Department’s efforts to be released from two decade-long federal consent agreements, which required the implementation of policies, training and processes to protect the constitutional rights of citizens DPD officers engage or detain.
A firm believer in departmental diversity and inclusion, White also established a Civilian Advisory Committee to help bridge the gap between civilians and sworn members within the department. He also worked to ensure that returning citizens had opportunities for employment within the Detroit Police Department in certain non-sworn capacities.
White left DPD in August 2020 when he was named Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights by the Michigan Civil Rights Commission and served as a member of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet. White was tapped for that role because of his track record of civil rights leadership at DPD.
White, who is a state licensed mental health counselor, has stated his commitment to look after the well-being of officers on the force who face difficult daily challenges.