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Bob Parker Jr., an African American Muslim attorney, passed the Oregon State bar exam in 1990, but Oregon didn't let him practice until December 2021. Thirty-one years. The Department of Justice, Marion County, and the Oregon Government Ethics Commission all investigated him. Three separate grand juries declined to indict him. The legislature apologized in 2021, acknowledging 31 years of wrongful damage done. Compensation still hasn't come.

Growing up in Flint, Michigan, Bob read himself into consciousness throughout school. He became the youngest student minister in the Nation of Islam at fifteen. He got into law school without a bachelor's degree because someone believed in him, which later led to him working with Jesse Jackson. He came out here to meet his future mother in law.

Instead, the state came for him. For 31 years, Bob watched institutions try to erase him while he kept building. He never resorted to crime, nor did he ever surrender. Today, at an age when most retire, he's still practicing law. Still fighting for the justice owed to him. This is part one of his story.

Guest: Bob Parker Jr., Attorney & Civil Rights Advocate

Hosts: Eric McGuire and Katherine Watkins

Learn More:

Portland Tribune: https://portlandtribune.com/2026/03/05/oregon-bipartisan-duo-push-for-compensating-committee-aide-wrongfully-accused-of-misconduct/

OregonLive: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2026/03/lawmakers-of-both-parties-push-to-compensate-aide-wrongfully-accused-of-misconduct.html

KGW: https://www.kgw.com/article/news/investigations/oregon-legislative-aide-robert-parker-wrongly-accused-lawsuit-settlement/283-0be41933-8fd4-45fd-89b2-2051e92145a8

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