Equity, Diversity And Community

“I would not be the person I am today without Vanderbilt,” he adds. “Many formative experiences happened there that made me a better team player, better global citizen and more thoughtful about others and how I navigate the world.” Read More

Hersch is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Law and Economics and co-director of the Law and Economics Program. She analyzed data on almost 500,000 college graduates to show a close connection between attending an elite undergradaute institution and the likelihood of earning a graduate or professional degree. Her research will soon be published in the Tulane Law Review. Read More

From an early age, I have had mixed feelings about law enforcement.  The fact is many police officers perform their jobs with dignity and pure intentions. I have always understood what police officers were supposed to represent: protection, dependability, and service to the community. However, from my vantage point,… Read More

Wesley Dozier ’19 (BA’16) is the Equal Justice Works Fellow at Just City in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. His work at Just City has adapted to the realities of practicing during a pandemic. “I felt like individual representation wasn’t as effective in changing what needs… Read More

During the fall 2020 semester, the Turner Family Community Enterprise Clinic collaborated with Law for Black Lives to explore ways of increasing Black land ownership and community wealth. Law for Black Lives is a network of legal advocates for Black Lives Matter and related social movements. Read More

Funmi Akinnawonu entered law school planning to pursue a public interest career. Her experiences at Vanderbilt–particularly her work in the Immigration Practice Clinic–solidified her interest. She spent the year after graduating from law school as a George Barrett Social Justice Fellow with the Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson… Read More

This semester I externed working on post-conviction relief in death penalty cases with the Office of Capital and Forensic Writs in Austin, Texas. This experience caused me to reflect on the concept and application of the “future dangerousness” doctrine in capital cases.   The United States death penalty system has always… Read More

In 2017, the Metro Government of Nashville and Davidson County found that nearly half of Nashville-area renters spent at least 30 percent of their monthly income on housing, and nearly a quarter of renters spent more than 50 percent of their income on housing. This gap between housing costs and renters’ ability to… Read More

The endowment of a permanent director of the Diversity, Equity and Community Office in honor of the late Professor Robert Belton enables VLS to build on its long-term commitment to diversity, inclusion and racial justice. Read More

With today’s news that the jury voted to convict Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, it is important to acknowledge that the trauma of this case, like so many others, remains with us. We have had to relive this violent encounter through the horrific video that many of… Read More