The Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter (VSJR), in collaboration with the Thurgood Marshall Institute at the Legal Defense Fund (TMI), announced a two-part event on Voting Rights in the South, to be held April 1 – 2.
Programming throughout the event will explore the legacy of voting rights in the south, discuss strategies, and develop new ideas for ensuring a full and unequivocal right to a fair vote for Black and Brown residents.
“This unique event combines community-based action with local, regional, and national expertise on voting rights as a key issue impacting equality and access in the South,” said Ashley Fox ’24, Editor in Chief. “VSJR is immensely grateful to the Thurgood Marshall Institute for their leadership and partnership to help ensure every voice is heard and every vote counts.”
The event kicks off with a Community Conversation on Monday, April 1, at The National Museum of African American Music from 6:00-8:30 pm CT. A welcome reception leads into a Keynote Conversation with 2018 MacArthur Fellow Rev. Dr. William Barber II, President & Senior Lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, in discussion with Janai Nelson, President & Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund. Kahlil Ekulona, Host of Nashville Public Radio’s This is Nashville, will moderate.
On Tuesday, April 2, the Voting Rights in the South Roundtable takes place at Vanderbilt Law School’s Flynn Auditorium from 8:30-4:30 pm CT. Panel discussions featuring academics, practitioners, and activists will cover a broad range of topics, from local elections to voting rights restoration and AI, technology, and election misinformation. Justice Anita Earls, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina, will deliver the Keynote Address on weaponization of the courts to dismantle voting rights protections.
“The Thurgood Marshall Institute’s collaboration with Vanderbilt Law School’s Social Justice Reporter underscores our unwavering commitment to combatting systemic voting rights challenges in the South,” stated Karla McKanders, Director of the Thurgood Marshall Institute. “The historic civil rights movements in Nashville and Selma stand as powerful reminders of our ongoing fight against racism and for universal suffrage. This Roundtable brings together academics, law students, practitioners, and community advocates to develop an actionable plan to safeguard voting rights in the South, a region historically at the forefront of this crucial struggle in the U.S.”
Voting Rights in the South is open to the public, and CLE credit is available at no cost. Visit the event page to learn more and to register for the Community Conversation and/or the Roundtable.
A digital-only publication, the Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter strives to publish traditional and nontraditional legal scholarship on intersectional issues of law and social equity and to be a national go-to resource for social justice-oriented scholars, practitioners, students and community members.
