The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) presented “From Pioneers to Progress: Lessons from Black Legal Trailblazers” in commemoration of Vanderbilt Law School’s Black History Month celebration, marking the 70th anniversary of the integration of the law school. The event, moderated by Alexis Shaw ‘26, featured an interview with Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. ‘81, who serves as Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, and Al Dotson ‘87, who serves as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner at Bilzin Sumberg. The event, part of the Dean’s Lecture Series, was supported by the Office of Culture and Community and the George Barrett Social Justice Program.
70th Anniversary: Honoring Black Pioneers of VLS
The conversation was held in honor of Vanderbilt Law’s first Black students—Edwin Melvin Porter ’59 and Frederick Taylor Work ‘59—and its first Black woman student, Janie Greenwood Harris ’64.
“We are celebrating our pioneers,” said Yesha Yadav, Associate Dean and Robert Belton Director of Culture & Community. “We are celebrating three of the most incredible human beings who have walked through these walls. If we think about it, all of us in this room, either directly or indirectly, owe our pioneers such a deep debt of gratitude. We are here because of them. We are enjoying this education because of them. We get to experience this incredible law school and all that it has given us because of their courage, their conviction, and their vision.”
Shaw opened by underscoring the historical stakes of early students’ enrollment. Porter and Work entered Vanderbilt Law in 1956, two years after Brown v. Board of Education was decided and during a time when the South, under Jim Crow laws, was massively resisting integration. Harris enrolled in 1961 and graduated in 1964, the same year the Civil Rights Act became law.
“Here in Nashville, segregation was still the law of daily life,” Shaw noted. “There were no diversity offices and no affinity organizations. Only their resolve remained.” She added, “[Harris] navigated not only racial exclusion but gender exclusion and a profession overwhelmingly white and overwhelmingly male.”
Alumni Reflections
Judge Crenshaw and Dotson discussed their experiences navigating education, the legal profession, and leadership in the decades following formal desegregation.
Dotson has spent nearly 30 years at Bilzin Sumberg, where his practice focuses on infrastructure, public-private partnerships, and government contracting. Reflecting on his time at Vanderbilt Law, he said studying law during that particular period deepened his understanding of how legal systems had historically upheld racial inequality and how attorneys played a central role in challenging and dismantling those structures. He emphasized the enduring relevance of that history, drawing parallels between the civil rights injustices he studied in law school and contemporary events across the United States. Dotson also served as president of BLSA while at Vanderbilt and credited Professor Robert Belton as a vital mentor who provided guidance and support to Black students during his time.
Judge Crenshaw echoed those sentiments. “When things got rough, and you didn’t know if you’d made a good decision or would be continuing the adventure or not,” he recalled, “Belton was the person that, at any time, you could walk into his office, knock on the door, and talk to him. And he did a great job of making sure that those of us who were questioning our decision stayed in and found out how to make a way to get that degree.”
Judge Crenshaw served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Tennessee from 1984 to 1987 and later became the first African-American attorney and partner at Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP. He was nominated by President Barack Obama in 2015 to serve as judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee and was confirmed in a 92-0 vote by the Senate. He served as Chief Judge from 2017 to 2024.
Judge Crenshaw expressed that being one of only a few Black law students brought both encouraging and challenging experiences, all of which ultimately prepared him for a career in spaces where Black attorneys remain underrepresented.
“The time at Vanderbilt, for me, was good in that it gave me an insight into what the profession would be like and some of the obstacles that I had to maneuver and navigate,” he said. “Back in 1981, there were no integrated law firms. There was no reason for sending a letter of interest, because it was kind of understood. But Vanderbilt prepared us for that, and as a result, many of you are reaping the rewards of that progress.”
The transition into legal practice presented additional barriers, Dotson and Judge Crenshaw emphasized, and having professors and older classmates was invaluable in helping navigate the unwritten rules of a career in law. It is crucial, they said, to find close personal mentors within a workplace who will support and advocate for you throughout your career.
“I was the first person in my family to go to undergraduate school, the first person in my family to go to law school, and the first person to walk into a law firm where the unwritten rules were much more important than the written rules,” Dotson said. “I had very little visibility into that, but I was blessed to have someone who, like Professor Belton, took it upon himself to make sure that those of us who walked through the door had someone they could talk to, someone who would explain to them what the unwritten rules are.”
He added, “You need someone to share with you what that looks like. When you start finding the people who can align you with the answers, you’re going to position yourself to leverage the great education you get here to become successful in whatever career path you take.”
Law students benefit from having a law school community that reflects the diverse profession and society in which they’ll be working, they expressed. Dotson stressed the importance of students approaching their careers with confidence and ownership, especially “when you’re the only person in the room who looks like you.” Judge Crenshaw echoed that message, encouraging students to be the “CEO” of their own careers by setting goals early, building trusted support networks, and actively seeking opportunities—including through connections with alumni.
“You can’t shrink,” Dotson said. “Be proud of the fact that you’re here at Vanderbilt University and that the pioneers did what they did.”
Watch the full lecture below or on our YouTube Channel.