“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” These words of Martin Luther King, Jr., himself borrowing from 19th century abolitionist Theodore Parker, continue to resonate with experience. During our Celebration of Challenges and Champions, we will explore this arc as it passed from Charles Hamilton Houston to Thurgood Marshall in the 20th century and continues to bend toward justice today. We will hear personally from those with direct knowledge and experience of the champions and their challenges and others who can guide us going forward.
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Registration and Buffet Lunch
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Welcome and Musical Selections
Dean Martha Minow
Harvard Law School
Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
Jesse Climenko Professor of Law
Executive Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice
Lawrence Watson
Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music
Houston Institute Artist in Residence
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
“The History of African Americans at Harvard Law School”
Daniel Coquillette, HLS
2:30 – 3:45 p.m.
Panel I: From Houston to Marshall to Today
- Randall Kennedy, HLS
- Nancy Gertner, HLS
- John Payton, NAACP LDF
- Kurt Schmoke, Howard Law School
3:45 – 4:00 p.m.
Break
4:00 – 4:15 p.m.
Introduction of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Jr., and Joel Motley
4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
Panel II: Marshall’s Living Legacy
- Mark Tushnet, HLS
- Martha Minow, HLS
- Vicki Jackson, HLS
5:15 – 5:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks and Musical Selection
Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.
Lawrence Watson
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Book Signing and Reception (Pound 102)
Co-sponsored by Amherst College’s Charles Hamilton Houston Forum on Law and Social Science
📷 Event Photos
📰 “From a slave-owning founder to the President of the United States: A look at a legacy of complexity and progress” – Harvard Law Today