Racial Justice Resources

Non-academic introduction to racism and white supremacy with plentiful links to Ted Talks and other YouTube resources.

Extensive bibliography and resources on how implicit bias (primarily regarding race but also gender and disability) impacts judges, public defenders, prosecutors, law students, and legal workplaces.

The Challenge invites participants to complete a syllabus of 21 short assignments (typically taking 15-30 minutes), over 21 consecutive days, that include readings, videos or podcasts. It has been intentionally crafted to focus on the Black American experience. The assignments seek to expose participants to perspectives on elements of Black history, identity and culture, and to the Black community’s experience of racism in America.

Slate journalist Dahlia Lithwick takes a thoughtful look at current events involving SCOTUS through expert interviews (including counsel for both sides of key cases) and other commentary.

The Supreme Court handed down a decision that caught some court-watchers off guard. It ruled that North Carolina lawmakers had violated the Constitution by using race as a proxy for divvying up voters along partisan lines. And it was surprising because the swing vote invalidating the gerrymander came from none other than Justice Clarence Thomas. This episode parses the outcome of Cooper v. Harris—and what it portends for future redistricting litigation—with Slate legal writer Mark Joseph Stern.

A half-century after Brown v. Board, should the Supreme Court still be in the business of integrating public schools and universities?

Who is American and how? What do the courts have to say about who can be here and who cannot? What role do the courts play in figuring out who belongs here and who doesn’t? To tackle these thorny and sometimes superwonky questions, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Stephen Vladeck who teaches law at the University of Texas.

Dahlia Lithwick speaks with attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle about Dollar General Corporation v. Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, a major Native American rights case argued at the Supreme Court.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine, for a wide-reaching conversation about race and gender.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig of Boston University School of Law to share the feelings and thinking behind her letter to her students reflecting on recent protests and killings. Next, Vanita Gupta of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and former head of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department in the Obama administration discusses overpolicing and what’s needed for real change.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to discuss voting and the crisis of legitimacy facing a Supreme Court embroiled in politics and the 2020 presidential election.

Up to 1.2 million voters may have been purged from Ohio’s rolls after they sat out a couple of elections, and in this episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick does a deep dive into the technicalities of the resulting case. Dahlia and her guests also use this moment to take stock of the state of voting rights in the U.S. Dahlia talks with Mayor Joseph Helle of Oak Harbor, Ohio, a veteran who came home to find he’d been purged from the rolls after not voting while on active duty, and the director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project, Dale Ho.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Judge Edward M Chen and Don Tamaki, members of the legal team that worked to clear Fred Korematsu’s name almost 40 years after his conviction, to discuss the overlooked context, corruption, and cover-up that enabled the policy, and to examine how the Supreme Court has yet to fully contend with the legacy of Korematsu v United States. They also unpack the lessons the case offers for the present moment.

Non-academic, introductory resources centering the events of the past 5 years as a lens to understand the black experience in America. Links a number of articles for further reading.

Comprehensive list of terms, definitions, and sources for intersectional research from gender to disability studies and beyond.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi joins Van Lathan and Bachelorette alum Rachel Lindsay to discuss the seemingly slowing trend of white allyship, how he would make the case to white people that they need to care about racism, how the Biden administration can tackle racism, what a reparations package could look like, and his new book, ‘Four Hundred Souls.’

Oscar-nominated documentary discussing institutional racism in the past and today.

In Legal Terms is hosted by some of Mississippi's top legal leaders and experts. The show is set to consistently provide thought-provoking commentary and opinions on legal topics, whether local or national. 

Protests concerning police actions have taken place all over the country. One of the prominent signs held up was “Defund the Police”. What does that mean? It’s a catchy phrase for a poster but do Americans REALLY think the police should be abolished? Learn from Cliff Johnson from the MacArthur Justice Center – Mississippi.

Hosted by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw, an American civil rights activist and leading scholar of Critical Race Theory. Brings the academic to the mainstream and includes a recent episode on race and COVID-19 in prisons.

An intimate account of U.S. Representative John Lewis's life that also provides coverage of the Civil Rights movement in Georgia and nationally, and a portrait of what a life of anti-racist advocacy can look like.

Prof. Crenshaw discussing history of Critical Race Theory (CRT), teaching CRT, and critiquing legal education post-Ferguson, including answering questions.

Historical perspectives on how race and the law intersected in colonial America from Harvard Law School professor Annette Gordon-Reed.

Host Craid Williams and a variety of expert guests discuss current events from a legal perspective.

May 17th, 2014 marked the 60th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark Supreme Court Decision that held state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students as unconstitutional because they violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Today, some six decades later, many parents and teachers are still worried that America’s children are not receiving equal access to education envisioned in that case. 

Section 1 of the 14th amendment reads “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” Birthright citizenship stems from the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment which was meant to override the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision that denied African Americans citizenship. Recently, President Trump announced that he would put an end to birthright citizenship for those born to parents illegally in the country with a stroke of a pen through executive order. This episode discusses the origin and application of birthright citizenship, whether or not it can be restricted, and much more.

On this edition of Lawyer2Lawyer, Bob Ambrogi speaks with Sunita Patel of the Constitutional Center for Human Rights and Heather Mac Donald of the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research on Judge Scheindlin’s recent ruling, Floyd vs. City of New York, which deemed the NYPD’s use of the stop-and-frisk policy unconstitutional.

Alan Milstein and Marc Randazza discuss the Take a Knee controversy, players’ rights, the First Amendment, President Trump’s reaction, and the NFL’s role.

Nicholas Stephanopoulos and Dale Ho take an in-depth look at two controversial SCOTUS rulings on gerrymandering and the 2020 census citizenship question.

On Lawyer 2 Lawyer, host Craig Williams is joined by Richard Schragger, professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law, and Nestor Davidson, faculty director of the Urban Law Center at Fordham University’s School of Law, to take a look at this recent ruling, the controversy over the removal of Confederate statues and what is next in this legal fight.

Before 2006, not a single US state required voters to show identification before marking a ballot.  But now, 30 states have enacted some sort of voter identification law.  Are these laws necessary to prevent voter fraud or are laws being passed to discourage low income groups, the elderly and minorities from voting?

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear “Fisher v. University of Texas.” This case could bring about the end of college admissions policies based on race.  Lawyer2Lawyer co-hosts and attorneys, J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi, along with Huffington Post Supreme Court Correspondent Mike Sacks and UCLA School of Law Professor Richard Sander, examine the possible fate of affirmative action in college admissions.

J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join Professor Eugene O’Donnell from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and Dr. Tod Burke, professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Radford University, as they talk about the pros and cons of body cameras in law enforcement. They take a look at recent events, transparency and accountability, and the impact body cameras will have on policing.

J. Craig Williams and Bob Ambrogi join attorney Lori Alvino McGill and Chrissi Nimmo as they take an inside look highly publicized custody case involving a 6-year-old girl named Lexi and the use of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978.

Shya Scanlon, a self-described white liberal who penned the essay “I, Racist: Confessions of a White Liberal,” tells how and why he began the hard work of acknowledging and unlearning the racist ideas he wasn’t aware he held.

Examines the problems with qualified police immunity.

Interview with Ron Dawson to discuss his recent essay, "There's a Jim Crow Mentality on Social Media," which outlines his experiences combating racist trolls and threats of violence online. Later, diversity trainer Risha Grant discusses with the hosts her idea that "radical acceptance" of our diverse selves makes us more valuable personally and professionally.

Panel discussion from the University of Denver.

30-min lecture from the University of Birmingham (England). Drawing on her experience of three decades in legal education in South Africa, Australia, the USA and Canada, as a faculty member and administrator, Professor Andrews explores the contemporary challenges facing law schools in countries that have histories of racial discrimination and exclusion, and the opportunities that flow from such challenges.

Panel discussion at NYU School of Law focusing on private practice.

"In this episode, Professor Ho, traces how civil rights and administrative law have diverged over the past fifty years, as U.S. court decisions have removed issues of racial discrimination from administrative law’s purview. He concludes by discussing reforms that could better address racial inequities in the administrative state."

A conversation about new research: “An Empirical Study of Bar Exam Cut Scores and their Impact on Disparities and Diversity in the Legal Profession” by Victor D. Quintanilla, Sam Erman, and Michael Frisby." Uses the CA Bar Exam as a point of discussion.

The Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) presents interviews with great law teachers about how they are inspiring the next generation of lawyers to advocate for social justice.

Dorothy A. Brown, Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law, talks about how to inject discussions about race in a tax class, her Critical Race Theory case book, and the 2-10-20 approach to discussing systemic racism in the law school classroom.

Professor Kim Holst, of Arizona State University, shares strategies for addressing social justice issues in her Advocacy classes. Note: The exercise Professor Holst discusses uses a case containing the word “negro.” The hesitant manner in which students approach the use of the word when discussing the case is one way that students encounter discomfort with race as it’s used in legal contexts. Feeling and facing discomfort is an important aspect of recognizing structural racism and its existence in our legal systems.

Professor Mary Szto, of Syracuse University College of Law, talks about how she discovered her passion for teaching and how she helps her students recognize “what’s at stake” in the pursuit of social justice through law. She also shares her experiences as a First-Generation attorney as a means to encourage her students.

Professor Chrichton, from Howard University School of Law, discusses the value of helping law students manage anxiety as a step towards equity and inclusion. She also stresses the critical ways in which empathy can inform law school teaching.

Tasha Souza of Boise State talks about how to infuse law school education communication frameworks and shares concrete terms to help students and teachers manage microaggressions.

Each episode frames key racial events (incl. immigrants, Native Americans, black history, etc.) in and American historical context and explains why we see race the way we do today.

GSU's own Prof. Natsu Taylor Saito on her book Settler Colonialism, Race, and the Law: Why Structural Racism Persists in conversation with E. Tendayi Achiume, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance and Professor of Law and core CRS faculty member, UCLA School of Law.

Non-academic, 5-min introduction to systemic racism.

Brett and Nazim are two attorneys who hate being attorneys. In lieu of practicing law, they have instead developed a podcast to help make the Supreme Court more accessible to the average person.

This episode covers the case of Arizona Republican Party v. Democratic National Committee, which asks once again whether neutral-looking voting laws that discriminate based on race in effect violate the Voting Rights Act.

Explores racial inequalities in the health care system.

Discusses police apathy and discrimination through the life of Black transgender activist Marsha P Jackson.

Author and historican Ibram X. Kendi defines the concept of antiracism to help us more clearly recognize, take responsibility for and reject prejudices in our public policies, workplaces and personal beliefs.

This recording of a professional development seminar given by history professor Adriane Lentz-Smith at Duke University gives an overview of white supremacist political disfranchisement, extralegal violence, and federal policy.

15-minute intro from PBS describing how racism and white supremacy have always influenced law-making in America.

9-min video from NowThis. Segregation expert and author of The Color of Law Richard Rothstein dubunks the American idea that white and Black people live separately by choice.

Non-academic TED Talk introduction to the intersectionality of race and gender by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw, one of the academics who pioneered intersectionality studies.

This episode compiles accounts of acts of racism at Harvard Law School, but they could emanate from almost any law school. The hosts take a look at the response of law schools around the country to recent events, including one law school that’s taking an aggressive anti-racism stance.

YouTube channel featuring videos of Emmanuel Acho in nuanced conversation with a variety of guests on today's most controversial racial topics.

Discussion of racial disparities, policy, and equality, but with a focus on Kendi's book "How to Be an Antiracist," which presents an approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society and in ourselves.