ABA president urges unity, diversity and equal justice for all

Bob Carlson reflects on his year at the helm of the 400,000-member association during remarks to the House of Delegates at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco on Monday, Aug. 12.

Invoking the host of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Carlson recounts Fred Rogers’ mother’s advice during scary times. She advised him to “look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Carlson praises lawyers who stand up to help others in the face of natural disasters, attacks on the judiciary, turmoil at the border, political partisanship and wellness issues.

Carlson also urged lawyers to be helpers by promoting civility.  “We must talk to each other with mutual respect, no matter how much we disagree. And there's no room—ever—for racial, ethnic, religious or gender-based insults. As lawyers, we can help by continuing to promote civility no matter how ugly our public discourse becomes.”

Click here to read the complete text of Carlson's remarks in the House of Delegates.