BY JEFF LAKE
The 82nd National Lawyers Guild Convention met in Durham, North Carolina on October 16-20, 2019.
The Military Law Task Force met for breakfast and discussed current events, the need to publicize our work and ideas to recruit new members.
Following the meeting, MLTF Chair Jeff Lake spoke at the Plenary Session concerning a resolution presented by the MLTF to the membership for voting. The text of the resolution can be found at https://www.nlg.org/wp–content/uploads/2019/10/MLTF–Resolution.pdf. Following the presentations, a brief period of questions and answers was held. The resolution seemed to be well received by NLG members in the room, but actual voting is occurring online after the convention.
During the convention, ideas for collaboration between the International Committee and the MLTF were discussed. These included the formation of a possible Peace and Disarmament Group within the NLG which would also include the environmental devastation linked to imperialism and the actions of the U.S. military.
As always, the convention provided moments of hope and inspiration as progressive lawyers and activists shared their stories of successful activism and strategies for change.
The MLTF expects to have a presence again at the next convention in 2020. Members are encouraged to attend and participate in this exciting event.
