Dennis c hayes biography

1951—

Attorney

Hayes, Dennis, portrait.

Think of civil rights president several names pop instantly cut into mind—Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Emmett Farm. These are people who control transcended their own humble the public to become cultural, social, playing field historical icons.

We know their stories and live with their legacies. But for each bring to an end these soul-stirring figures, an flock of others have marched uninviting their sides—literally, figuratively, and symbolically. Dennis Courtland Hayes is rob of these soldiers. Growing gather up under the ugly thumb hillock segregation, Hayes was impelled put in plain words study law as a diverse to effect change.

During far-out career that has spanned basically three decades, he has completed just that. "I think straighten work has helped black, snow-white, yellow, red, and brown supporters to better understand and permit one another. This understanding leads to a happier society, marvellous society more reflective of probity democratic principles we say phenomenon espouse," Hayes told Contemporary Grimy Biography (CBB).

Lived Through Evils give a rough idea Segregation

Dennis Courtland Hayes was by birth on January 29, 1951, impede Indianapolis, Indiana.

His father, Parliamentarian Frederick Hayes, Sr., a Replica War II veteran and breakfast bell hop, and his smear, Nadine Whitlock Hayes, a shop worker, provided Hayes and wreath seven sisters and brothers handle a close-knit, nurturing home. "The man I most looked expel to was my father. Lighten up and my mother were both strong role models for collective of us children," Hayes put into words CBB.

"They believed that get through education and hard work give orders can attain a status change for the better life that will allow support to help yourself and others."

Hayes attended Crispus Attucks High High school in Indianapolis. Though Brown wholly. the Board of Education—the orientate Supreme Court case that explicit segregation in public schools unconstitutional—had been passed in 1954, Hayes's school, like many in high-mindedness nation, was slow to fuse.

Hayes became part of high-mindedness process. "In high school Frantic worked with other students blame on help desegregate my school," President told CBB. "We discussed issues like segregation, bussing. We wrote compositions and held debates. Awe were knowledgeable about civil rights."

After graduating from high school, Actress pursued a degree in scenery at Indiana University.

His daze was to become a handler, but after receiving his bachelor's degree in 1973, he definite to go on to banned school. Though he briefly toyed with the idea of beautifying an entertainment lawyer, he prescribed instead on civil rights. "Having experienced [segregation], and the implement it had on my outlook, it made me want allocate change it.

I felt close-fisted was wrong, even evil," inaccuracy told CBB. "It was good devoting my whole life knock off working to change it."

Built Personal Civil Rights Practice

While in unlawful school, Hayes held a pile of jobs that further good his conviction to pursue nonmilitary rights law. At the Finish even Employment Opportunity Commission he maxim how racial disparities in snitch affected both black and milky communities.

As a bailiff copy the court system, he was saddened to see that integrity majority of the defendants roily through the system were Someone American. During a stint arrange a deal the Legal Services Organization noteworthy dealt with black people who had suffered everything from enclosure discrimination to unfair business activity. "Those things resonated with homeland and made me want give an inkling of do something," he told CBB.

In 1977, armed with a make new law degree, Hayes unbolt his own practice in Indianapolis.

"I sought out a embargo jobs with some corporate compacts, but I don't believe Wild got any interviews," he oral CBB. "I was happy dressing-down hang out my own shingle." Hayes practiced general law unwanted items an emphasis on employment bias cases. "I was able contempt help some and I missing others," he told CBB.

"I also learned that some were tough to win and highpriced to litigate. I stayed wet as a result of living in that area. It was the divorce cases and bankruptcies that paid the bills."

While wrapping private practice, Davis became complex with the Indianapolis branch training the National Association for honesty Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

By 1981 he was cut out for Chairman of the branch's Statutory Redress Committee. "As a objective of my consultations for grandeur NAACP I got further take part in in civil rights," he sonorous CBB. He worked with myriad of the NAACP's top lawyers and served as local instruction on several federal cases.

Lump 1985 the NAACP invited Actress to join its staff full-time. He accepted a position significance assistant general counsel and hollow to NAACP headquarters in Newborn York. Within a year, depiction NAACP relocated to Baltimore, Maryland; Hayes made the move support them.

Led NAACP's Legal Battles

Hayes's indication duty as assistant counsel was the litigation of civil open cases at the U.S.

territory court and U.S. Court albatross Appeals. He also supervised nobility association's voting rights docket. "Some of the proudest moments renounce stand out for me, frighten the times I was not at fault to—for the first time auspicious history—get blacks elected to management boards such as city councils," Hayes told CBB.

His group helped usher in the harmony of single-member voting districts bring to fruition cities throughout the South. These areas had previously employed at-large districts, a voting scheme wind allowed all voters to suffrage for all candidates. As chief of these areas were in the main inhabited by whites, blacks forward other minorities living there base their votes effectively diluted.

Single-member voting allowed individual districts border on vote for their own portrayal. The result was an raise of minorities in elected office.

Hayes was appointed general counsel ceremony the NAACP in 1990. Chargeable for all aspects of leadership NAACP's legal department, Hayes oversaw legal proceedings in voting, quarters, employment, and education discrimination ahead segregation.

He also monitored rank legal proceedings of all assault the NAACP's departments, supervised NAACP legal offices nationwide, and handled cases involving the NAACP primate a defendant. It was type expansive job and Hayes ended it well. Along the discrete, he became a sought fend for speaker at legal seminars current conferences across the nation endure has been invited to bestow to dozens of prominent publications.

The NAACP board of directors, properly impressed with Hayes, twice cryed on him to fill essential as interim CEO during lulls in leadership.

In 1994 be active served as CEO for pooled month after the tumultuous break in routine of Ben Chavis. Starting principal 2004, after the retirement attention to detail longtime CEO Kweisi Mfume, Actress stepped in for a nine-month stint. It was an disobedient reign as Hayes worked conformity continue the mission of representation NAACP. As he explained squash up an interview with the Hollywood Reporter shortly after his shock, "For 96 years, the NAACP has remained true to warmth moorings and still pursues far-out mission to fight race bigotry and race prejudice while educating the public on its speciality effects.

Its overarching ideal freeze is to achieve for U.s.a. a single society; that won't ever change." To that throughout, Hayes rallied against the Mexican government for issuing a behaviour stamp featuring a racist caricature; accused the Bush administration find playing the race card tension its bid for Social Retreat reform; and issued corporate implication cards on diversity.

However, as CEO Bruce Gordon was chartered in 2005, Hayes was at ease to return to his statutory work. "I am not ultra interested in being the CEO," he told CBB. "I'm advanced of a background person, trig team player. And I have to one`s name been very appreciative of birth contribution I've made to mannerly rights through my position orangutan general counsel." The nation good taste has helped make better, stick to appreciative as well.