MEMORIAL SERVICE TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE OFF JUDGE HENRY RAMSEY, JR SATURDAY MAY 3, 2014, 1-3 PM WHEELER AUDITORIUM UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, CA
Reception for reflections will be held at the California Memorial Football Stadium, University of California, Berkeley immediately following the ceremony
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS PLEASE DONATE TO THE JUDGE’S FAVORITE CHARITY
Restorative Justice For Oakland Youth (RJOY) interrupts cycles of violence and incarceration by promoting restorative justice policy and practices in Oakland’s schools and juvenile justice system. With an emphasis on repairing harm and inviting all affected to jointly figure out how to do so, restorative justice gives equal attention to community safety, victim’s needs, and offender accountability and growth. Most recently, at a continuation high school in West Oakland for youth in the juvenile justice system, violence and suspension rates have fallen dramatically, graduation rates and test scores are on the rise, and the school has garnered national attention for its stories of transformation. The Oakland Unified School District adopted restorative justice as official policy in 2010. www.rjoyoakland.org
The Center for Youth Development Through Law (CYDL) provides life changing experiences to high school students from low-income backgroungs through a summer internship and education program, educational mentoring, and after-school program. Building on the students’ passion, intelligence and interest in law and social justice, these programs foster academic and pratical skills, interpersonal competence, self-confidence and high aspirations. More than 92% of the students go on to attend institutions of higher education. After participating in the Center’s summer program, one student remarked, “ It was like I was drowning for so long, and this program finally threw me a rope!” www.youthlawworks.org
The Young Women’s Saturday Program (YWSP), founded in 2011, serves as an enhancement to Alameda County Girls Court. YWSP, also know as The Alameda County Young Women’s Empowerment Program, mainly serves girls in Alameda County who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation and those at-risk for such exploitation who are on probation. The 12-week program, which focuses on trauma recovery....
Henry Ramsey Jr., Legal Scholar, Former Howard Law Dean, Dies at 80
Henry Ramsey Jr. was involved in every facet of the law in his 30-plus year career. He started as a deputy district attorney, moved into private practice, was elevated to judge, taught law and served as dean at the Howard University Law School.
When he died after suffering a stroke March 14, acquaintances said the world lost a brilliant legal mind. He took over as dean at Howard’s law school in 1990, an imposing figure in a field of impressive legal minds.
When he died after suffering a stroke March 14, acquaintances said the world lost a brilliant legal mind. He took over as dean at Howard’s law school in 1990, an imposing figure in a field of impressive legal minds.
“He wore bow ties all the time,” said Orlan Johnson, an intellectual properties lawyer and former Howard Law School professor who lives in Bowie, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C.. “He reminded you of someone in academia. He had a very professorial intellect. You never saw him not looking the part of being an academician.”
Johnson said prior to becoming Dean of the Law School, Ramsey had no connection to Howard, but was hired because of his strong credentials.
“He had no connection to the law school,” Johnson said. “He was one of the deans who quote unquote didn’t have a Howard background. He was part of the legacy of outside people coming in to take leadership positions. Whenever you go outside the family, things can get tough, but he was well respected in what he brought.”
Among Ramsey’s priorities was improving the law school’s bar passage rate.
“He brought a lot of structure and discipline, as well as a high level of focus on academics,” Johnson said. “He believed in the Howard tradition of being a civil engineer, but he also felt that should be coupled with strong academic achievement.”
Ramsey came to Howard after an illustrious career. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of California, Riverside in 1960 and his law degree from the University of California’s Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law.
His first job was in the Contra Costa County District’s Attorney’s Office, one of the first African Americans to be hired as a prosecutor there.
After a few years, he moved into private law, focusing on civil and criminal matters, according to his LinkedIn page. From 1981 until 1990, he served as a judge with the Alameda County Superior Court. During the same time, he worked as a law professor at Berkeley. He became dean at Howard in 1990 and retired in 1995.
Besides working in the law, Ramsey served on the Berkeley City Council from 1973 to 1977, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown told the newspaper that he and Ramsey worked together on several cases representing “those who couldn't get representation, like the Black Panthers.” Brown remembered Ramsey as being “forceful” and someone who “caused everyone to be conscious of their own conduct.”
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte told the Chronicle that she remembers Ramsey as a "warrior for justice and fairness and equality in our court system.”
Charles Ramsey, one of Ramsey’s six children, president of the West Contra Costa Unified School District board, said his father taught his children to give back.
"My dad always said, 'You'll be measured as a man not by what you did for yourself, but what you do for others,'" he told the San Francisco newspaper.
Ramsey died Friday at Berkeley’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center after having a stroke at his home.
He is survived by his second wife, Eleanor, and six children.
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