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Wayne Bentley Receives State Bar Liberty Bell Award
9/5/03 Wayne Bentley, a Grand Rapids City Middle/High School government teacher who has spent more than a decade researching the representation of minorities on Kent County juries, has been chosen as the State Bar of Michigan 2003 Liberty Bell Award winner. The Liberty Bell Award recognizes outstanding service performed by a non-lawyer who, in keeping with the spirit of the U.S. constitution, has given his or her time to strengthen the effectiveness of the American system of freedom under law. Bentley will receive the award on September 12 at a luncheon held in the Lansing Center ballroom during the State Bar of Michigan 68th Annual Meeting. Bentley worked with his students and the Grand Rapids Bar Association to study the jury selection process in Kent County and determined that the county's computer-operated system had routinely excluded a substantial portion of the core neighborhoods in Grand Rapids. After much perseverance, including picketing outside the courthouse, Bentley's research led court administrators to the discovery that a computer glitch had kept minorities from serving on local juries. The court has since taken measures to correct the problem. Bentley has been praised for encouraging his students to be active citizens in democracy. During their research, Bentley's students spent time in county courtrooms, neighborhoods, and surveyed jury pools. Bentley has also worked with students through award-winning mock trial, "We the People", debate, and academic teams. Under his direction, his students have hosted forums for candidates running for state and local offices. Bentley's work has also earned him other recognitions. He received the 2000 Liberty Bell Award from the Grand Rapids Bar Association and was named 'Teacher of the Year' in 1998 by the Center for Civic Education Through Law. Bentley holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and group social studies, and a master's degree in educational leadership from Grand Valley State University.
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