Each year the nation observes Law Day on May 1.

Law Day is designed to educate people of all ages about the legal system and to celebrate the American heritage of liberty, justice and equality.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

In 1963 during the Proclamation’s centennial, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and called upon our nation to live up to the great promise enshrined in its founding documents of equality for all.

The legacy of the Civil Rights Movement can be seen in the strides that have been made against discrimination based upon race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, disability and sexual orientation.

This promise of equality under the law is what has made America a beacon to other nations.

Law Day May 1, 2013, provides us with an opportunity to explore the Civil Rights Movement and the impact it has had on promoting the idea of equality under the law.

F. David Lowery

President

Franklin County Bar Association