There was much to celebrate about the past year and the impacts the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Justice and Diversity Center have had on the City and beyond, even though we were all still living this virtual life for the 2021 Annual Member Luncheon held on Dec. 16. As we said farewell to outgoing Board members and welcomed in a new class, we also honored a number of members who have gone above and beyond during this time.
The 2021 Awards of Merit recipients: Kevin Benedicto, Lane Barrasso, Steve Berkman and Krista Johnson were honored. Kelly Matayoshi, Jamie Wells and Carole Okolowicz also stood out among the crowd and received Outstanding Barristers Awards.
Outgoing Board President Marvin K. Anderson welcomed attendees as he looked back on his tenure. Reminding us of the relevance of his racial justice initiative, he emphasized the importance of continuing these discussions. Click here to watch Anderson’s speech in full or watch below.
“We need to talk openly about race and perception bias in all of its insidious and overt forms, including ageism, sexism, and homophobia, in order to eliminate its pernicious harmful effects on our societal systems and institutions,” Anderson said. “We are often thinking about race in ways that profoundly impact our decisions and understandings. Race is an important factor in the way that our societal systems and institutions are designed and the work that they do. Systemic racism is embedded in the built landscape of our societal norms and legal systems.”
Once Anderson officially passed the gavel to incoming Board President Mary McNamara, she told her own personal stories of connection to the legal realm and recalled the importance of BASF’s role in pushing marriage equality in particular. Click here to watch McNamara make her presidential address or watch below.
As she continued, she previewed her own BASF initiative for 2022. “My single focus this coming year will be to ask each of you to do more. Far more, for our sisters and brothers in the community. Let’s make this a year of giving,” McNamara said. “What better professional gesture is there than to reinvest just a tiny bit of our prosperity and our time into the community that sustains all of us?”
McNamara also shared a preview of BASF’s 150th Anniversary plans to come as we celebrate the Association’s longevity. To see the timeline and learn about BASF’s rich history, check out the timeline at http://www.sfbar.org/150th/ This site will be updated throughout the year, including interviews with past presidents, deep dives into causes BASF has championed along the way and more.
Anderson and 2021 Barristers President Jessica Ryland also introduced the Award of Merit and Outstanding Barrister honorees, providing insight into why they were being recognized. Click here to see the Q&A with the Award of Merit recipients as well as an exclusive Q&A with the Outstanding Barristers.
