INBA hosting annual Meeting at the Monument on Sept. 19

The Iowa National Bar Association (INBA) is hosting the sixth annual Meeting at the Monument: A Celebration of Diversity within the Iowa Legal Community. The event will take place from 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19 at the A Monumental Journey sculpture located along the Principal Riverwalk at the corner of Grand & 2nd Avenues, Hansen Triangle Park, Des Moines, IA. All are invited to attend.

First held in 2019 at a gathering that featured an address by the late Chief Justice Mark Cady, the Meeting at the Monument provides an opportunity for remembering the work of the National Bar Association (NBA) founders and for recognizing individuals and organizations who have demonstrated a commitment to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion in Iowa's legal community and more broadly.

Every year the INBA presents the Journey Award to celebrate the unique contributions of individuals or groups who have demonstrated commitment to justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year, Judge Romonda Belcher, Judge Mark Bennett, and Let's Talk Now will receive the INBA Journey Award.

First appointed in 2010, Judge Belcher served as Iowa's first African American female judge. She championed trauma informed practices and brought attention to racial disparities within the juvenile justice system. Judge Belcher also served as an adjunct professor at Drake Law School. She mentored students and young lawyers and diligently worked to further opportunities for diversity, equity, and inclusion in Iowa's legal community.

Judge Mark Bennett served as a federal judge 1994-2019. He developed a reputation for being fair, but firm. Judge Bennett personally visited 400 inmates he sent to prison. He openly criticized mandatory minimum sentencing models and the nation's history of mass incarceration. He served as director of Drake Law School's Institute for Justice and Reform and is a highly sought after author and speaker on a variety of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics.

Let's Talk Now is a school mediation program. The organization has shown tremendous success empowering youth to resolve conflicts peacefully and constructively, creating a culture of respect and inclusion.

Previous recipients of the Journey Award include Prof. Adrien Wing; the Black Law Students Association at Drake Law School; The Iowa State Bar Association; the ISBA Young Lawyers Division; the Hon. Helen Miller (Ret. State Rep.); Dean David Walker; Prof. Russell Lovell; Attorney Alfredo Parrish; and the NAACP Legal Redress Committee.

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