Attorney Receives Accolade

The hot pair of the evening may have been Warren Beatty and Norman Mailer, but the hot topic was the resignation earlier that day of liberal Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Appropriately, the Hollywood Women’s Political Committee honored civil rights attorney Morris Dees with its Barbara Jordan Award Thursday evening at the Regent Beverly Wilshire. (Jordan congratulated him via video as did Julian Bond, Ethel Kennedy, George McGovern and Rosa Parks.)

Much of the usual Hollywood chitchat was abandoned in favor of more pressing topics.

“I’m not sure I’ll see the court in my lifetime again speak to moral truth and justice,” said a concerned Harry Belafonte, whose introduction of keynote speaker Roger Wilkins turned into a lengthy keynote speech itself.

Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to helping the racially oppressed, said he hoped that President George Bush would appoint a black attorney to fill Marshall’s seat. “I don’t think Bush would be risking a lot,” said Dees. “He already controls the court.”

The 6-year-old HWPC, which has become a political action committee of some clout, has its work cut out now with Marshall gone, said Margery Tabankin, executive director.

“We feel electoral politics is more important than ever, and we have to aggressively promote those candidates we support.”

The funds raised by the organization (including the $100,000 brought in from Thursday’s event) go to U. S. Senate and House candidates--Democrat or Republican--who are pro-choice, support civil rights and affirmative action and are concerned with the environment, according to Tabankin.

Membership, which is by invitation and requires a $1,500 non-tax-deductible annual contribution, is composed mainly of women working in the entertainment industry, from attorneys to actresses.

Among those members attending the dinner were actress Cybill Shepherd, songwriter Marilyn Bergman, producers Anthea Sylbert, Paula Weinstein and Barbara Corday, and director Claudia Weil.

Glenn Close, who closed the evening with her a cappella rendition of “America the Beautiful,” isn’t a member, but said: “I guess I should join. When you become a mother it changes your priorities. You want your child to have a future, and that’s politicized me more than anything.”

“I just joined. It’s really exciting,” said Jessica Rich, a young producer at ABC. Her mother, actress and producer Pippa Scott, is also a member. “It’s an island of sanity,” said Rich.

“They invite speakers from both sides of issues, so you get to hear a wonderful spectrum of opinions, and hot off the press.”