The D.W. Perkins Bar Foundation hosted its annual banquet last month Downtown at the Omni.
The “Social Action: Be the Change You Want to See” theme featured elementary, middle and high school students competing in an essay contest along with seven Florida Coastal School of Law graduating students receiving Florida Bar preparation scholarships totaling more than $5,000.
During the event, the foundation recognized community change agents, including Duval County Court Judge Pauline Drake and Angela Nixon of the Moxie Group.
The keynote speaker was Benjamin Crump, who represented the family of Trayvon Martin.
The D.W. Perkins Bar Association was known as the Colored Lawyers Association until 1968, when it changed its name to honor attorney Daniel Webster Perkins, a civil rights proponent and community leader. The foundation started in 1995 to provide scholarships.