WBA Legacy Series: Ollie May Cooper’s Life and Legacy by WBA Legacy Series published on 2021-11-03T13:13:08Z In the second episode of the Washington Bar Association (WBA) Legacy Series, WBA President Kendra Perkins Norwood speaks with past president and long-time historian of the WBA, Robert Bell, to discuss one of the WBA’s most revered and celebrated members, Attorney Ollie May Cooper. They discuss Ms. Cooper’s legacy, advocacy, and groundbreaking accomplishments in conjunction with the WBA’s 43rd Ollie May Cooper Award Ceremony. As a magna cum laude graduate of Howard Law School in 1921, Ms. Cooper was one of only two women in her class, and she was the first Black woman admitted to the bar by examination. Regarding Ms. Cooper’s incredible accomplishments in the legal community, Mr. Bell recounts the sentiments of WBA Past President Dr. J. Clay Smith, who noted that no one should go through life not knowing the role that Black women have played in the development of the law.
