The University of Chicago Black Law Students Association

This past weekend members of BLSA and Impact Initiative partnered helped volunteer at annual 27 Hours of Peace. Project sWish's journey behind this impactful initiative, which focuses on creating positive change through community engagement and empowerment, was started by McKinley Nelson. Between Saturday and Sunday, Project sWish gave young Chicago men the opportunity to learn about nutrition, engage in future job opportunities, and showcase their talents in a variety of ways. We thank you for the work that you do and we are looking forward to joining next year's 28 hours!

Thank you Law Women's Caucus for hosting your Annual Winter Symposium. LWC holds this dinner each year to introduce our members to the professors and alumni who serve as role models and leaders in our community.

This year we had the pleasure of hosting one of our own alumna, Michelle Mbekeani. Michelle graduated from UChicago in 2014 and during her time in law school served on the BLSA executive board. We are so proud to welcome her back and for our current BLSA members to have a moment to speak to her and Kim Foxx.

Let's give it up for our 2Ls! This past Thursday The school took the time to celebrate the Midway point of our 2Ls' law school careers. We would love to take the time to celebrate them and also some of the professors who have supported them along the way. A great start to Black History month for our future history makers. Cheers!

A huge thank you to Danielle Hamilton from Northwestern Appellate Advocacy Center and Jordan Poole from the civil rights firm, Loevy & Loevy. BLSA and UChicago's Public Interest Law Society (PILS) had the pleasure of hosting a lunch talk discussing civil rights litigation both in the public and private sphere. Thank you to our two guests and all who were able to attend!

We challenge all those who read this message to do something kind today. We want you to do something, anything that makes the world a better place than it was yesterday.

On what would be his 95th birthday, we take a moment to celebrate a man who had his life taken too soon for fighting for what is right. We remember his words “Now is the time to have a confrontation between the forces resisting change and the forces demanding change. Now is the time to let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream. ... We will be sadly mistaken if we think freedom is some lavish dish that the federal government and the white man will pass out on a silver platter while the Negro merely furnishes the appetite. Freedom is never voluntarily granted by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed.” - excerpt from a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Chicago Campaign (Summer, 1966). Happy MLK Day!🤴🏾

Happy New Year fam! We hope you enjoyed time with friends and family. But school is back in session, and with it we must take the time to celebrate our BLSA members who have worked hard this past quarter on their respective journals. So let's take a moment to celebrate the newest members of UChicago's four journals!

Gabrielle Bozarth
Amber Hunter
Hana Abreha
Kasey A. Coleman
Tyler Lawson
Mariam Oladipo
Joseph Lee Robinson
Ajoke Adetula

Please join me in congratulating our BLSA 1L Representatives for the 2023-2024 school year!

Thank you to all who were able to attend our Firm Diversity Interviewing Panel. UChicago Law's BLSA, APALSA, and LBS had the wonderful opportunity to host attorneys from DLA Piper, Simpson Thacher, Cooley, Baker Botts, Goodwin, Gibson Dunn, and Baker McKenzie.

A great big thank you to the attorneys who were able to speak to our 1Ls. Great event! Everyone was very engaged and the speakers were frank, encouraging, and very helpful!

Thank you to all the students and faculty who were able to attend our Inaugural BLSA Faculty Breakfast.

This was a great opportunity for our members to get to know UChicago Law's Black Faculty and visiting professors.

BLSA, ACS, and Defenders had the opportunity to host Public Defender Sharone Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell is a passionate advocate for the rights of everyone represented by the Public Defender's office and for reform to increase justice in the legal system. He was nominated by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Cook County Board and was sworn into Office on April 1, 2021, for a six-year term as Public Defender. Mitchell began his legal career in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, first working as a clerk in law school and later as an assistant public defender with assignments in the Civil, First Municipal, and Felony Trial Divisions. Thank you for joining us once again!