Thu 3/25 @ 5:30PM
No, the youth of the ’60s who protested the Vietnam War and took part in the Civil Rights Movement didn’t all mature to be Reagan conservatives. Cleveland lawyer Terry Gilbert is living proof. In the 50 years he’s been practicing, if someone’s rights are violated, there’s a good chance you’ll find him at their side. He was defending victims of police violence and brutality long before the heightened awareness we have of that today.
Gilbert reflects on his career in a new book called Trying Times, relating how he made a career of standing up for the disenfranchised and marginalized in times when public sentiment was with them and times when it wasn’t. He explores how justice works differently for the wealthy and powerful than for minorities and the poor but notes that even losing cases can cause shifts in public opinion.
Trying Times is both a look back and a look forward, as Gilbert is still active in fighting for the rights of the downtrodden. The 324-page book (he’s had an eventful career!), written with Carlo Wolff, is available in local bookstores now.
On Thursday, March 25, at 5:30pm, Gilbert will be doing a virtual launch party/ author talk through the CSU- Cleveland Marshall College of Law, where he is an alumnus.
“My deep roots with the law school as a student in the early 70’s profoundly impacted my commitment to social justice,” says Gilbert. “In the midst of dramatic political and cultural change, I and my fellow students pushed for a more progressive approach to legal education and programs as a vehicle to address societal inequities. Trying Times discusses the critical role Cleveland-Marshall played in shaping my career as an activist lawyer.”
Register to attend the event here.
law.csuohio.edu/newsevents/events/