The Tribune Society, Inc., of the Courts of New York, is a fraternal organization of African Americans and other minority judicial and non-judicial court personnel. Founded in 1968 by a group of peace officers, its chief objectives are to consistently improve the administration of justice and ensure equal opportunity for all who work in or whom the New York Unified Court System serves. To this end, The Tribune Society seeks to promote and extend diversity on the judiciary and upper echelon non-judicial positions within the NYS Unified Court System. Moreover, we support and promote affirmative action generally to assure equal justice and self-improvement on behalf of our people.

The Tribune Society and its members provide various forums, many geared for young people, to enable the diverse communities and better understand how the court system works. In September 1995, the Educational committee implemented a mentoring program. The program focused on equipping first-year high-school students with a four-year comprehensive academic and a support core curriculum. The support core curriculums included improving self-esteem, providing positive role models, scholarship, and financial aid information. The academic component of the program included Math and English tutoring by Princeton Review instructors.

In celebration of Black History Month, the Tribune Society co-sponsors a program to commemorate the rich heritage of African Americans. The Black History Month program features prominent guest speakers and welcomes the public. In the past years, the program included Rev. Calvin Butts, Les Payne, Professor Derrick Bell, Paul Roberson Jr., Gil Noble, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. Esq. Loretta Lynch, Esq. Earl Graves, Star Jones, Esq., Professor Charles Ogletree, Rev. Floyd Flake, Theodore Shaw, Esq., James Earl Jones, Lawrence Otis Graham, Susan Taylor, and Sade Baderinwa.

In 1992, a scholarship was established in memory of Alphonso B. Deal to promote education. Mr. Deal was a Senior Court Clerk and a Tribune member that lost his life while attempting to protect his community. In 2002, we renamed the scholarship fund to include Captain William Thompson, a Tribune member who perished while saving others during the World Trade Center tragedy. Each year outstanding students are selected by the screening committee to receive scholarships. The students are chosen based on their academic merit, talents, and community service. The committee has awarded a total of forty – seven scholarships and twenty-two awards to deserving students.

Our fundraising drives help benefit many charities, which includes the United Negro College Funds, the Cancer Foundation, the Lupus Foundation the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, Africare; Feed the Children, The Black United Fund, Exploring New Options Youth Program, Yvonne Brown Foundation, Safe Horizon, and Court Families Assistance Fund. During the year-end holidays, the Tribune Society’s annual Christmas Toy Drive contributes several hundred toys to children centers, local churches, needy families and homeless shelters throughout NYC and Westchester County.

The Tribune Society has spoken out against injustice and for progressive issues concerning the courts and the community. One of the organization’s objectives is career advancement for its members and other minorities in the Unified Court System. The recent appointments now include more African American managers, making court administrators more reflective of our communities. In 1999, an annual career preparation seminar was established to assist in this area. Tribune members regularly offer preparatory classes for court service entrance and promotional examinations. Participants in these courses, which are open to all, consistently attain above-average scores.

The Tribune Society is at the forefront to attain the constitutional ideal of “equality and justice for all.”