Dean Griffin: Law school increases number of students of color
Dear Fellow Black Alumni:
I’m excited to report that this Fall we welcomed 60 new students of color to the law school, and 20 of these students identify as black. 28.3 percent of the class identifies as a student of color, compared to 24.6 percent of last year’s incoming class.
This year’s 1L welcome activities included affinity group lunches and a diversity mixer. The entire class also participated in an unconscious bias workshop and a TED Talk discussion regarding having a diverse perspective in law school and life. We have several additional events planned for Fall, and I hope you’ll join us for Homecoming, scheduled for November 1-2. On Friday, Nov. 1, we’ll feature prominent alumni on panels that offer free CLE credits from 1-3 p.m., including Wendy Greene (L '02), whose session is titled "#FreeTheHair: How Black Hair is Transforming Anti-Discrimination Law and Civil Rights Movements." On Saturday, Nov. 2, the Law School is hosting a Homecoming tailgate on Tulane’s Berger Family lawn before the football game, where Law alumni have reserved seating. For more information on these events, contact lawalumnirelations@tulane.edu. Attending Homecoming Weekend will be a great opportunity for you to meet our new students!
Thank you for your continued support of diversity initiatives at Tulane Law. Since launching the Michael Starks Fund for Diversity Initiatives in March 2018, 225 donors have contributed nearly $100,000 in gifts and pledges to this fund. Over the summer, a portion of these funds enabled 27 diverse students to travel to two major diversity job fairs in Atlanta and Dallas. The students completed a total of 96 interviews with employers from all over the country. This was the first year the law school was able to provide travel support to diverse students, and the most students we have ever had participate in diversity job fairs. And this would not have been possible without your generosity!
Additional thanks goes to Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown (L'88, L'98) whose gift established the BLSA Public Interest Summer Grant, which provided funds to support BLSA students pursuing unpaid public interest summer internships. Through a competitive application process, two BLSA students were selected to receive the inaugural grant this summer, Tanisha Manning (L'20) and Tiarra Riggins (L'21). Tanisha spent her summer interning with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, and Tiarra spent her summer with Manhattan Legal Services. Not only did these students provide legal services to communities in need, but they also gained invaluable legal experience that will help them to pursue public interest careers after they graduate.
Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Robert Waldrup (L'16), Gary Crosby (L'16), and those of you that have contributed to the Waldrup-Crosby Scholarship Fund. The 2019-2020 scholarship recipient will be announced later this Fall and will be featured in the next edition of our Black Alumni Newsletter.
As you can see, our extraordinary network of black alumni is making a profound impact on the lives of our black students. If you have already supported the Michael Starks Fund, BLSA Public Interest Fund, or Waldrup-Crosby Scholarship this calendar year, thank you. If you have not, please consider making a contribution before December 31 to make a difference next semester. To give, click here. Thank you so much for your generosity.
Lezlie Griffin
Assistant Dean for Career Development & Diversity Initiatives
