LACBA Recognizes Terrence Franklin as a Black History Month Honoree
Congratulations to Partner Terrence Franklin on being recognized by the Los Angeles County Bar Association as a Black History Month Honoree, which celebrates past and present Bar leaders. While Franklin is well-known for his trusts and estates expertise, he is equally renowned for his innovative initiatives and tireless advocacy to advance DEI in the legal community and beyond.
Franklin had been practicing trusts and estates litigation for nearly 25 years before he discovered that his legal career was the path to his mission in life—to “Help Bend the Arc of History Towards Justice” by sharing the story of his family’s experience escaping from slavery, nearly two decades before the end of the Civil War. In dozens of presentations throughout the U.S. including a TEDx Talk, media interviews and articles, Franklin has retraced his journey to uncover his fourth great-grandfather’s will, and the unexpected will contest that threatened to keep his fourth great-grandmother Lucy and her children and grandchildren enslaved.
When Franklin ends his story, he references the notion that he first heard paraphrased by fellow Harvard Law School alum Barack Obama, attributable to a Unitarian minister and abolitionist in a sermon from 1853: “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” From Franklin’s experiences, he realized that he may have descendants who may look back at him and wonder what he did to deal with oppression, and to make the world a more inclusive place. To help bend the arc of history towards justice, Franklin’s goal is to widely educate others, and push back against dehumanization and racism.
Read more about the LACBA Black History Month honorees here.