Jan. 15, 2022—Racine was sworn in as the District of Columbia's first elected attorney general in 2015 and re-elected for a second term in 2018. His lecture is free and open to the public.
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Nov. 11, 2021—As much as they come to gain a legal education at VLS, our community is fortunate to gain so richly from our veterans' perspectives, experiences, ideas and character.
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Nov. 8, 2021—Today marks National First-Generation Celebration Day. It provides us with an occasion in the calendar to observe the significance of what it means to be a first-generation graduate – as many within the VLS community know first-hand. Most visibly, it represents promise and achievement for those who have taken a step that was not available...
Oct. 20, 2021—This month has provided a point of focus for VLS and the country to recognize the critically important contributions of Latinx communities. Now we must ensure that we remain continually committed to engaging with the legal issues affecting them.
Oct. 12, 2021—This week, we mark Indigenous People’s Day, celebrating the rich history, vibrant cultures and foundational contributions of indigenous communities to the country we live in today.
Sep. 1, 2021—Law deans express a commitment to ensuring that families and individuals facing eviction have access to legal representation, counseling and assistance.
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Aug. 24, 2021—Ryan is one of 16 FASPE Ethics Fellows chosen for the program, which examines the conduct of lawyers in Nazi-occupied Europe as a way to reflect on legal ethics today.
Aug. 5, 2021—Youth ages 18 to 26 who were in foster care after age 14 are eligible for pandemic relief funds. Vanderbilt’s Youth Opportunity Clinic and the Youth Law Center are sharing information with other lawyers and service providers. The Clinic can help young adults who have aged out of foster care apply for up to $1,200 before the extended application deadline of September 15, 2021.
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Jun. 18, 2021—As we gather to celebrate Juneteenth with our friends and families, we are humbled by the sacredness of this day and its profound significance for the history of our country. With the despicable inhumanity and evil of slavery ending, Black Americans began the slow and painful journey towards the fullest and most equal attainment of...
Jun. 14, 2021—Leading up to Vanderbilt’s annual observance of Juneteenth, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion André L. Churchwell hosted a discussion with two faculty members about this important date in history.
Jun. 14, 2021—“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.”
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Jun. 10, 2021—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.
May. 24, 2021—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, law enforcement rarely lived up to those...
May. 24, 2021—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 to be changed. Now, I’m doing a lot of coalition work with other actors in this space, partnering...
May. 24, 2021—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. Each semester the organization connects a cohort of law school clinics with community organizations to...
May. 24, 2021—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 and is now a fellow with Immigrant...
May. 24, 2021—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 been racist, and this is especially apparent in the system’s...
May. 24, 2021—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 pay them has widened during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in...
May. 19, 2021—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.
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Apr. 20, 2021—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 us have seen with our...
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Mar. 26, 2021—Williams is the John L. Seigenthaler Professor of American History. Her work focuses on the experiences of low-income Black women and marginalized people, including their everyday lives, politics and social struggles. Her talk will be delivered virtually and is free and open to the public. The Dean's Lecture Series on Race and Discrimination convenes scholars and thought leaders to provide the Vanderbilt community with foundational knowledge on race, civil rights, discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, and critical historical milestones.
Mar. 6, 2021—The daylong virtual symposium, “Racial Justice, Freedom and Activism in Nashville and Beyond: Then and Now,” will be on Friday, March 26, starting at 9 a.m. CT.
Mar. 4, 2021—Byrd is an assistant professor of history at Vanderbilt University. HIs research focuses on black intellectual and social history. He is the author of The Black Republic: African Americans and the Fate of Haiti, a book published in 2019 by the University of Pennsylvania Press.
Feb. 25, 2021—Belton was a pioneering scholar of labor and employment law and the law school’s first tenured African American professor. The position of Robert Belton Director of Diversity, Equity and Community will be endowed by an anonymous donor this year
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Feb. 11, 2021—The Vanderbilt Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will host a panel of Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students to share their personal and professional views and experiences on issues that inform “This Moment in America.” The virtual panel discussion is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is open to the Vanderbilt community. Opening remarks by Chancellor Diermeier and moderated by Vice Chancellor Andre L. Churchwell.