Souls on Trial
by
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He had just made the announcement that he would run for the newly created Congressional seat whose constituency encompassed most of the majority black suburban county where he lived and worked. With that announcement, he had officially launched his campaign to become the first African-American Congressman from Maryland’s newest Congressional District. According to the polls and the party insiders, he was a shoe-in for the seat. He had all the requisite credentials. He was well-educated at Princeton undergrad and /Harvard law. After slaving seven years as an associate, he had become the first Black partner at the prominent law firm of Braucher and Riegert. It was the third largest real estate law firm in Maryland. He had also become comfortably middle class through his salary as a lawyer and his dealings in "speculative" real estate ventures. Eric was conservative by nature. He was especially careful when it came to investing his hard-earned money. The real estate ventures he invested in were not really speculative for him because he had become a favorite counsel to several real estate developers who sometimes allowed him to cash in on the housing and shopping mall boom that was still going on in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. His net worth, including a $350,000 house that he had bought for $250,000 three years ago, came to about $700,000. His annual partnership draw had ranged between $150,000 and $190,000 for the first three years. The firm’s business was expanding and he had the full support of his partners to run for Congress. In fact, they encouraged him to do it, on the expectation that his candidacy and ultimate election would add prestige to the firm, and more importantly, create new business. Eric had also done good work in the affluent African American community where he lived. He was an active member of the NAACP and the National Bar Association. He was well known for his civic leadership, having served two years on the local school board, even though he had no children of his own. In short, he had all the necessary prerequisites to assume the role of congressman. He viewed the congressional seat as a mere stepping stone to bigger things. All his life he had dreamed of being a politician. His burning desire was to be a man who was well known, well respected, even admired by all for his hard work and dedication. He was on the brink of a successful political career that seemed unlimited. Jesse Jackson had come in second to Michael Dukakis during the 1988 Democratic primaries. With his background and integrity, Eric thought that he could possibly one day win his party’s nomination and make a legitimate run at the Presidency. He knew that the possibility was at least 10-20 years away but he had always planned for things well in advance. That is how he had achieved so much in his career to date. He would set a goal, develop a plan to achieve it, and take each step with calculated precision, never taking his eye off the prize. To be sure he did not get side tracked, he neither drank nor used drugs. He did not want to end up like his dad, dead at age 45 from a heart attack brought on by high blood pressure, poor diet and excessive drinking. Eric exercised daily. He did not smoke. He ate healthful foods and stayed away from people who were into things that he thought of as being "negative." Despite all of his virtues, he did have one vice, however; and this vice would ultimately lead to his downfall.
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About the Book
"Souls on Trial"
The novel provides the reader with insightful commentary on our criminal justice system where Whites are presumed innocent and Blacks (especially African-American males) are presumed guilty. On a deeper level, it is a character study that exposes the complexities of human relationships. It focuses on the struggle African-American women have with finding a "good black man" and interracial dating. It also explores the negative impacts that the tripartite scourges of crime, drugs, and AIDS are wreaking upon African-American communities. The novel features the obligatory mix of sex and violence to keep the reader enthralled; but it is much more than the typical fare in the genre. The novel's moral dimension gives it a spiritual quality that is uplifting.
About the Author
John Chambers is a partner with a law firm in Washington D.C. His practice involves litigation, counseling, and lobbying on a variety of issues. It includes, helping corporations address environmental justice concerns and participating in urban revitalization efforts. He frequently lectures at forums sponsored by the ABA, as well as state and local bar associations. He often appears as a host on nationally televised ABA Satellite Seminars. He also made appearances as a guest commentator on National Public Radio and as a panelist on the BET show, Our Voices. He was selected for listing in the 1994 International Corporate Law Magazine's "Guide to leading Environmental Lawyers" and was profiled in the February 1993 edition of Black Enterprise Magazine. He is the first president of the Washington Government Relations Group and the founder of the Brownfields Business Information Network. His numerous professional writings are published in a variety of books, journals, and magazines. His essays and poems have won national acclaim and have appeared on anthologies as well as in newspapers and magazines that address issues of importance to African-Americans.