Diversity Week: April 6 – 10

March 2, 2015

TJSL has been hosting Diversity Week for as long as Professor Maurice Dyson can remember. “We work to highlight the contributions and culture of our law students that help enrich our law school,” said Professor Dyson regarding the series of events that will take place from April 6–10, at TJSL (see the tentative schedule of events below).

Each year, events are organized to bring to light issues of equality, access, and inclusiveness. The hope, according to Professor Dyson, is that TJSL will promote ideals to help develop an “intellectually and culturally robust exchange of ideas and to raise awareness [of] these issues in the legal landscape.”

Professor Dyson and the student organizations that helped produce this year’s events believe it is important to “increase access to justice” for those communities that are underserved. Professor Dyson believes these communities may become “the bread and butter for legal practitioners developing niche markets.”

The Diversity Week organizers work to create networking opportunities for students to meet and engage with successfully practicing attorneys in the community. Professor Dyson’s desire is that the week’s events will create chances for everyone to “engage in important discourse . . . and have an opportunity for one-on-one exchanges.” The goal here is to give students and attorneys important platforms that provide meaningful opportunities as professionals as well as possible mentors.

To devise the most successful Diversity Week possible, the committee, which includes organization representatives from Armenian Law Society to OUTLaw, decides what events to organize and what their focus will be based on. According to Professor Dyson, it is the students’ energy that makes Diversity Week a success.

This year’s tentative schedule of events is as follows and those who are interested in attending do not need to do anything special – As Professor Dyson put it, just “come with an open mind, a healthy appetite for the luncheon and prepare to be engaged!”

Note: Events may change based on availability of speakers or other uncontrollable issues.

Monday, April 6th
11:30-1:00 p.m., TBA, Sponsored by APALSA

6:00-9:00 p.m., Documentary/Panel of Community Attorneys, Sponsored by APALSA, 8th floor.

Tuesday, April 7th
11:30-1:00 p.m., Genocide Documentary, Sponsored by Armenian Law Students, Rm. 227. 4:30-6:00 p.m., Event Sponsored by Outlaw, Rm. 320.

Wednesday, April 8th
Diversity Luncheon, Sponsored by All Student Organizations, 8th floor. 11:30-1:00 p.m. (day students).
5:00-6:00 p.m. (evening students).

Thursday, April 9th
11:30-1:00 p.m., Critical Race Theory Paper Presentations, Rm. 320.

6:00 p.m., Panel of Community Attorneys, Sponsored by La Raza, 8th floor.

Friday, April 10th
11:30-1:00 p.m., Immigration Law Reform Roundtable, Sponsored by La Raza, Rm .225.

6:00-7:00 p.m., Panel of Community Attorneys & San Diego Law Schools (Women of Color), Sponsored by BLSA, Rm. 227.

7:00-8:00 p.m., Post Panel Networking Mixer, Sponsored by BLSA, 8th floor.