Diallo Family, Sharpton, Breyer Will Speak at Black Law Students’ Spring Conference

The Rev. Al Sharpton, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, Anita Hill, and family members of Amadou Diallo are among the guests scheduled to speak at the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) spring conference, April 7-9. The conference, titled “The Search for Excellence: Defining New Paths,” will be held in several classrooms at the Harvard Law School.

The three-day conference will begin with a panel discussion with Sharpton and the Diallo family on racial profiling and issues related to race in the criminal justice system on Friday, April 7, at 1 p.m. in the Vorenberg Classroom, Langdell Hall. A panel titled “The Digital Divide: A Bridge over Troubled Waters?” will examine the risks associated with the lack of access to technology and strategies for using the Internet as a political vehicle in minority communities on Saturday, April 8, at 11 a.m. in Hauser Hall, Room 102.

At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, leading academics, including Cornel West, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Anita Hill, and Glen Loury will participate in a role-play of famous African Americans from history in a discussion about a progressive future in the Vorenberg Classroom.

A tribute to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. will feature a dedication address by Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Marshall’s widow, Cecilia Marshall, and son, U.S. Marshals Service Director John W. Marshall, will attend the tribute, which will also take place in the Vorenberg Classroom, Langdell Hall. An exhibit on Marshall’s life will be in Pound Hall.

Randall Robinson, TransAfrica President and author of The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks, will deliver the keynote address on Saturday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square.

For conference information, call (617) 493-9523.