The Homer S. Brown Division of the Allegheny County Bar Association is celebrating its first children’s book, “Black Lawyers of the Burgh: An Anthology,” with the community on Saturday.

The book, published earlier this month, profiles 28 local Black attorneys and judges and their career journeys.

The theme for the Homer S. Brown Division for Black History Month this year is “Black History in Progress.” The book is said to be the first its kind. It also features an all-women author group, made up of Kellie Ware, Elizabeth Hughes, Gabrielle Lee, Jessyca McCarl and Laila Seabron.

Seabron is Ware’s daughter and, at age 14, is the group’s youngest author. She aspires to go into the legal profession.

“At first I was just helping my mom with work over the summer. I said, ‘Mommy take me into the office with you, I can help.’ She said, ‘We are writing a book.’ ”

Seabron researched names of Black lawyers in history and wrote their biographies in ways that were relatable to kids her age.

Seabron is an eighth grader at Manchester Academic Charter School. She’s extremely proud of and inspired by her mom.

“It’s cool because if they wrote another book, I could possibly be in that book, and that could be me in the future,” she said.

Saturday’s event will be held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Posvar Hall. The majority of the people featured in the book studied at Pitt or went to law school there.

“I remember the first time I stepped inside of the law school, and just being ‘wow,’ this is a really impressive space. To be able to share that experience with the community is the whole point of the event and the book,” said Ware, an attorney and director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Allegheny County Bar Association. “We wanted to make the law and people in the legal profession seem much more accessible. People will be able to talk to lawyers, judges and law school students to ask questions about their journey so that it can feel attainable.

“Our emphasis is on Black youth, but it is important for everyone to see that legal careers are possible. The picture of a lawyer in most people’s minds in 2024 still looks a lot like Jack McCoy from ‘Law & Order.’ ”

They are not that far off base — the legal profession is still predominantly white and male. Nationwide, only 4.5% of lawyers are Black, according to the American Bar Association.

“In a city like Pittsburgh, which is consistently ranked one of the least diverse metropolitan areas in the country, our numbers are even lower,” Ware said. “I think where we are currently reflects that those rooms are not diverse. There are not enough women in those rooms or people of color.”

She said with the people who are getting access to the book, perhaps in 10 or 20 years those numbers can increase.

Jessyca McCarl, an associate attorney at Pittsburgh Family Law Services P.C., said she hopes the event inspires Black and brown youth to consider careers in the legal field. Beyond this Saturday, she hopes it sparks a movement.

“I’m thinking not just legal careers, but also other areas like Black doctors and engineers,” she said.

Ena Lebel, attorney and executive director at Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition, said the coalition will run a youth exercise on Saturday. The coalition does a lot of programming with teens. Lebel often finds that many teens have not met lawyers before, which was similar to Lebel’s experience growing up.

“We want to show them the possibilities of where they can be, making sure that the young people in Pittsburgh know that our legal community is passionate about their well-being. If they want to be part of the legal profession, there are so many people ready to support them, and who can help them thrive,” she said.

The celebration will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include a DJ, face painting, a photo booth, balloon art installations and ice cream from Happy Day Dessert Factory. A resource fair with information from Pittsburgh Public Schools, the URA, Master Builders’ Association of Western Pennsylvania, Inc., and more will be part of the event.

About 150 to 200 free copies of “Black Lawyers of the Burgh: An Anthology” will be given away. Registration is not required, and all are invited. Students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law will be available to talk about their experience and provide a tour of the school.

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