UW Law Celebrates Diversity Week
To commemorate UW Law’s Diversity Week, which takes place during Black History Month, a full line-up of events is hosted by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and DEI Dean Bill Covington. The events take place February 21–24 in William H. Gates Hall.
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023
Diversity Week begins with "Unspoken Truths: The National Award-Winning American History Museum" all-day on Tuesday, Feb. 21 in the Galleria of William H. Gates Hall. A video and Q&A session with curator Delbert Richardson will take place from 12:30–1:20 p.m. in Room 118.
The Museum chronicles the rich history of Africans in Africa prior to American Chattel Slavery, the experiences and impact of American Chattel Slavery and of the Jim Crow Era, while also detailing the many contributions African Americans have had on scientific, cultural and technological inventions and innovations in the U.S. and the world.
Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023
Alumni who have worked in judicial clerkships will speak on the BIPOC Law Clerks Panel from 12:30–1:20 p.m. on February 22 in Room 118. This panel features individuals who have clerked at federal, state supreme, state appellate and superior courts. The session will provide information on how to obtain judicial clerkships.
Later Wednesday afternoon, a conversation of reconstruction through the story of Robert Smalls will take place in MacFarlane Lounge (4th floor) and via Zoom with A.J. Musewe, a community educator and activist. The period of Reconstruction is one of the most fascinating and prosperous times for Black advancement and sadly, this time period isn’t heavily studied. In the five years after the end of legal slavery in 1865, this country ratified three of the most radical amendments that still influence life for us today. Musewe will take participants through the end of the Civil War and explore the Reconstruction Era through the adventurous life of Robert Smalls. Using his high-octane life as a guide, Musewe will explore the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments and tie them to how we can use the story of Robert Smalls to find our own path to excellence.
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023
The 2023 Diversity Celebration from 5:30–8:30 p.m. in the UW Intellectual House will begin with a formal reception where students will have the opportunity to network with attorneys, judges, justices and alumni. The reception will include light appetizers and refreshments. After the reception, a panel discussion of seven diverse attorneys will cap off the evening, moderated by WA Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven González.
Friday, Feb. 24, 2023
Open to the public, UW Law will host a screening of the film "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” in Room 138/133 from 3–6 p.m., followed by remarks and Q&A with Jeffrey Robinson, former deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and now executive director of the Who We Are Project.
Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023
This year, President’s Day fell on the Monday of Diversity Week, so UW Law will host an encore lecture on Feb. 28 called “Intellectual Property and Race: Race, Music and Inequity in Copyright Law” by Southwestern Law School professor Kevin Greene.
Professor Greene gave the fall quarter Distinguished Shider lecture and was a guest on the UW Law Discovery podcast episode "The New Copyright Law Manifesto." Professor Greene will speak on the intellectual property abuses that have been imposed on artists of color, particularly in the music industry.
