2024 Louis L. Redding Benefit & Awards Gala

The Delaware Barristers Association proudly presents its 11th Annual Louis L. Redding Benefit and Awards Gala at the DuPont Country Club, 1001 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. The celebration will honor distinguished members of Delaware’s court, bar, and community for their work, contributions, and commitment to liberty and justice for all.

The Barristers will recognize and honor the following individuals for their exemplary leadership, commitment, and contributions to the community and legal profession:

Professor Leland Ware, a respected and dedicated educator and advocator for civil rights and civil liberties, will receive the Louis L. Redding Lifetime Achievement Award. Professor Ware is the Louis L. Redding Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy within the University of Delaware’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. A former U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney, Professor Ware has authored over 90 articles on various aspects of Civil Rights law. Professor Ware also Co-authored two books, “Brown v. Board of Education: Caste, Culture and the Constitution” and “Choosing Equality: Essays and Narratives on the Desegregation Experience.

Beatrice “Bebe” Coker is the Excellence in Community Services Award recipient. In a 2010 profile published by the News Journal, she was described as “the Rosa Parks of education in Wilmington,” an agitator, encourager, rule breaker, and waymaker. A community activist of over 60 years, Bebe Coker continues to impact Delaware as a playwright, poet, and lyricist and a strong advocate for high-quality public education. She is the Founding Director for the Black Heritage Educational/Theater Group, an organization that collaborates with literacy programs all over the city and county for African American youth.

The Honorable Aida Waserstein (retired) will receive the Judicial Profile in Excellence Award. In 1976, Judge Waserstein became Delaware’s first Hispanic-American female attorney. Judge Waserstein is a Cuban refugee who found her way through foster care to Delaware to become a lawyer and serve a 20-plus-year stint as a judge in Delaware Family Court. In retirement, she began a new career writing children’s books. Judge Waserstein’s first published book is “My Name Is Aida,” which, much like Waserstein’s own life, is about a 13-year-old girl who comes to America from Cuba and becomes a judge.

Dr. Aaron Bass is the recipient of the Excellence in Education Award. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Wilmington, Delaware’s Eastside Charter School. Under his direction, Eastside Charter embraced educating youth from challenging socio-economic backgrounds. As part of the redevelopment of Wilmington’s Riverside neighborhood, Eastside Charter School entered corporate partnerships, culminating in plans for the Chemours STEM Hub, a science and technology center at the Riverside school.

This year’s Gala will commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (decision May 17, 1954), which affirmed the Delaware cases of Belton v. Gebhart and Bulah v. Gebhart and the 60 th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Please join us for an evening of celebration, remembrance, and dancing!

Host or Publisher The Delaware Barristers Association