Vermont Bar Journal, Vol. 40, No. 2 Vermont Bar Journal, Spring 2017, Volume 43, No. 1 | Page 36
Chair
the Second Chair. We can actively look for
those sitting in the Fifth Chair whose choic-
es are burdened with the pounding voices
of those sitting in the First Chair. Our as-
piration does not require heroic labors; it
may be as simple as a thumbs-up or a pat
on the back. The Second Chair need only
communicate to the Fifth Chair, you are
seeing it right, “It’s B.”
Jackie Robinson sat in the Fifth Chair. In
fact, he was specifically selected and pur-
posely placed in the Fifth Chair by Branch
Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn
Dodgers. Because of his moral backbone,
his controlled temper, and his athletic abil-
ity, Jackie was the perfect choice. Many
times the First Chair piled on ridicule, ra-
cial epithets, and even death threats. Jack-
ie felt alone. Once the manager of the Phil-
adelphia Phillies, Ben Chapman, occupying
the First Chair, verbally beat Jackie nearly
to explosive anger while Jackie was at bat.
He said things that today would be outra-
geous in public or private.
Jackie was at the point of breaking
and almost walked over to Chapman to
brain him with the bat. But one of Robin-
son’s teammates, Eddie Stanky, stepped
out of the dugout, walked over to Chap-
man and said, in substance, “Stop it. You
are wrong.” The comments had little ef-
fect on Chapman, but they had a powerful
effect on Robinson. Robinson’s teammate
sat in the Second Chair at a critical time for
Jackie, who carried the burden of a terrible
Fifth Chair dilemma: do I brain Chapman or
do I hold my peace? Robinson’s teammate
lifted that burden, for just a moment, and
said to Jackie, “It’s B.”
Jackie was still in the Fifth Chair on an-
other field in Cincinnati. Pee Wee Re-
ese, also a teammate of Robinson, sat in
the Second Chair. The people in the First
Chair were family and friends of Pee Wee
from across the Ohio River in Kentucky. As
Jackie took the field, Pee Wee’s family be-
gan to throw verbal spears at Jackie, not
too different from those of Ben Chapman.
Pee Wee walked across the field to where
Jackie stood and in the presence of all, his
family included, simply put his arm around
Jackie and began to talk. Once more, a
teammate sat in the Second Chair and said
to Jackie, “It’s B.”
But, that’s not the end of the story. In the
stands were young nephews of Pee Wee.
Unbeknownst to Pee Wee, they were also
in the Fifth Chair. They did not believe the
terrible things the adult family members
were saying; they had a choice to make.
Pee Wee, by simply putting his arm around
Jackie, said loud and clear, “It’s B.” They
chose not to participate in their elder’s ef-
forts to intimidate Jackie.
While we often struggle with our own
Fifth Chair choices, we can aspire to sit in
the Second Chair every time the opportu-
nity arises. Aspirational Ethics and the
Second Chair is about the moment. Histo-
ry, individual history and collective history,
is about critical moments. We never know
when the moment will come or how criti-
cal the moment may be. Nevertheless, we
can look for and be aware of those in the
Fifth Chair. We can recognize the burden
placed on them by the multitude of First
Chair voices. We can lift that burden, even
if it is only for a moment, and inspire the
choice to do good by our reaffirming voice,
“It’s B.” And, when we do, powerful things
will happen!
____________________
Gregory P. Hawkins is a lawyer with thirty
years of courtroom experience, author of
four books, three of which are about ethics,
and many published articles.
Lonn Litchfield is a trial lawyer of twenty
years and author with a JD from the J. Reu-
ben Clark School of Law and an LLM from
the London School of Economics.
Scenes from our
Mid-Winter
Meeting
36
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • SPRING 2017
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