Alpha Frater Judge Damon Keith praised as a trailblazer

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National, state and local dignitaries stood alongside other metro Detroiters on Monday at the ground-breaking of an education center at Wayne State University that will honor Detroit federal judge Damon Keith.

Keith, 87, senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, has been a groundbreaker for civil rights for more than 50 years.

The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights will be adjacent to the Wayne State School of Law in Detroit. The $5.7-million, 10,000-square-foot center, which is expected to open in 2011, will house an exhibit area, meeting and conference rooms and a 60-person lecture hall.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called Keith a trailblazer and a towering role model for countless lawyers.

“He is my role model,” keynote speaker Holder said to a crowd of about 600. “Without him, there would be no me.”

A. Alfred Taubman, business and mall owner and a primary contributor to the center, called Keith a favorite son of the city. “Damon Keith helped shape us into a better people,” Taubman said.

Other speakers praised Keith as a trailblazing lawyer, revered judge, champion for civil rights and loyal friend.

“Role model” was a phrase that came up again and again.

“He is our hero,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. “I don’t know that there could be a better person for us to emulate.”

The estimated 600 people who attended the ceremony spilled from beneath a canopy and braved threatening rain to witness the groundbreaking and tribute to Keith, 87, the grandson of slaves who now serves as senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit.

Holder quoted Keith, who challenged President George W. Bush by ruling it unlawful to conduct deportation hearings in secret. “Democracies die behind closed doors,” Holder quoted Keith as stating in a 2001 ruling after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Holder added, “Democracy lives and is strengthened behind the doors of Judge Keith’s chambers.”

Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she was among about 40 people present who were blessed to have clerked for Keith, who grew up on the west side of Detroit and was the first member of his family to attend college

“Some people are like divining rods that set you on the right path,” Granholm said. “Judge Keith has been like that. He taught us all about breaking ground. … not just to be good, good lawyers, but to be good people.

“Judge Keith’s legacy is too big to be in one building,” she said. “The true legacy of Judge Keith is all about action, so let us use this as the foundation for action.”

Edsel Ford, a primary contributor to the center, surprised Keith by presenting a portrait of him by metro Detroit artist Nancy Mitter.

The portrait will grace the main gallery of the center — which in addition to offering classroom and meeting space will have an exhibit featuring Keith’s life and work.

Dean of Wayne State’s law school Robert Ackerman said Keith’s good deeds extended beyond the legal realm. He cited Keith’s efforts to help secure a place for civil rights champion Rosa Parks to live after she was robbed in her Detroit home and his work to raise money for the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

“He’s not only a great man, he is a good man,” Ackerman said.

The audience was filled with a who’s who of metro Detroit, including U.S. Reps. John Conyers and Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, prominent attorney Elliott Hall, chief judge of Michigan’s 36th District Court Marilyn Atkins, Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kurtis Wilder and a host of Keith’s fraternity brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha.

Even those not on the program were full of praise for Keith, calling the proposed center well-deserved recognition.

Television producer Ted Talbert recalled working on a documentary on black lawyers and judges several years ago.

He said: “Damon made it work because of his expertise, and he is the recognized dean of black lawyers and judges. He gave expertise no one else could.”

Several lawyers and judges credited Keith for their success.

“If it weren’t for Judge Keith and all he did over the years, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Atkins said. “I’m so deeply in his debt for everything he did to pave the way, to lead this country to accept and respect African Americans in the judiciary and in the practice of law.”

Attorney Allan Kellman worked for Keith in the 1970s. “Judge Keith is a great humanitarian who truly brings the concept of justice to life whether dealing with presidents or the man in the street.”

Keith said he was honored by all the praises and hoped the center lives up to words dear to him.

“I hold the words ‘equal justice under the law’ closely,” Keith said. “I hope the words ‘equal justice under the law’ will guide the work done at the Keith Center.”

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