ALUMNI NEWS
C arlos E. Moore has always been a big dreamer. In July, one of his biggest and wildest dreams came true. He was sworn in as the National Bar Associa- tion's (NBA) new President, the nation's oldest and largest association of predom- inantly black attorneys and judges. "It feels great to have achieved the dream that was birthed over 20 years ago," said Moore (Canton-Madison (MS) Alumni 2010). "I decided dur- ing my first National Bar Association Convention as a first-year law student that I would become President of the NBA one day. To accomplish my dream is definitely a dream come true." The Moss Point native is the first Mississippian to lead the association in its 96-year history. Moore is the Man- aging Partner of The Cochran Firm – Mississippi Delta in Grenada. Moore, who graduated from the Florida State University College of Law in 2002, was elected President by vote from the NBA's 66,000 members earlier this year. Moore took the reins of the organization officially on July 27 th of this year. At the NBA's annual convention, which was held virtually due to the pandemic, Moore shared his vision for the association and his plans to call for action regarding the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and HR-40-A. "My administration is focused on securing and expanding voting rights," Moore stressed before adding, "I've also taken a strong stance in the foreign policy arena around supporting color- blind immigration laws. We believe that the Haitian migrants that were at the border a few weeks ago were treated more severely than other immigrants and migrants. The NBA is now doing a pro bono initiative where our lawyers pro- vide our services free of charge to those Haitians who are seeking asylum." The NBA was founded in 1925 and is the nation's oldest and largest national network of predominantly African-Amer- ican attorneys and judges. It represents the interests of approximately 66,000 lawyers, judges, law professors, and law
sity in Houston, and the University of Mississippi School of Law in Oxford, Mississippi. Moore is active in several bar associ- ations in addition to the NBA, including the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, The Mississippi Bar, Magnolia Bar Association, Missis- sippi Association for Justice, and the Grenada County Bar Association. He has held several positions in the National Bar Association: Vice Presi- dent, Deputy General Counsel, Deputy Chief of Staff, Region V Director, Board Member at Large, and Chairman of the Young Lawyers Division. In 2011 after completing three years on the Mississippi Bar Ethics Commit- tee, Moore was elected by his peers to serve a three-year term as a Commis- sioner of the governing board of The Mississippi Bar, which regulates all the lawyers in Mississippi. In addition to his bar association work, Moore is active in his commu- nity. Besides being a 2010 graduate of Leadership Grenada, he is a member of the Grenada Rotary Club, Grenada Chamber of Commerce, 100 Black Men of Grenada, Inc. (Founding President), The Million Dollar Advocates Forum. He is also a board member and Found- ing Chair of the Grenada Unit of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Mississippi Delta.
students. The NBA is organized around 23 substantive law sections, 10 divi- sions, 12 regions, and over 80 affiliate chapters throughout the United States and around the world. As for what inspired Moore to be- come an attorney, he revealed that at the young age of five, he made the decision to become an attorney. "As a young boy, I loved watching attorney shows, such as Perry Mason. Matlock, LA Law - I loved all of those shows. And I was glued to the TV dur- ing the OJ Simpson trial. I was in high school at that time. I wanted to be like Johnnie Cochran, and so it is just amaz- ing for everything to come full circle to now work at the firm that Johnnie Cochran started." In July 2017, Moore was appointed as the first African American Municipal Judge Pro Tem for Clarksdale. In May 2020, he was named the first African American Municipal Judge Pro Tem for Grenada. A graduate of Moss Point High School (Salutatorian), the University of South Alabama, and The Florida State University College of Law, Moore also completed course work at Rice Univer- Carlos Moore. Below with Laurel Wreath Laureate The Honorable Benny Thompson,the late Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Cedric Richmond, and Senator Cory Booker. Opposite page with Rep. Thompson protesting the Mississippi Flag hanging over the state capital.
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