Black History at Ï㽶Ðã Law
Fourteen Black students graduated Ï㽶Ðã Law in 1978 (13 pictured here).
Ï㽶Ðã Law has a rich history of Black excellence and leadership, though it was slow to build and continues to be written and enriched. Between Ï㽶Ðã Law’s founding in 1929 and 1960, four African-American men (no women) earned law degrees: Hon. Harold A. Stevens ’36, Thomas M. Simmons ’56, Henry Quarles, Jr. ’59, and Hon. David S. Nelson ’60. Portraits of Justices Stevens and Nelson hang in the hallways of Stuart Hall.Ìý
During the early 1960s, Dean Robert F. Drinan, S.J., became focused on the shortage of qualified African-American attorneys and the lack of opportunities for non-white people to pursue a legal education. He committed to fulfilling the school’s mission of educating lawyers who worked for social justice and reform and having the law school community reflect the world's rich diversity.
By the late 1960s, partly due to Father Drinan’s active recruitment efforts, the ball had started rolling. The entering 1L class in the fall of 1966 included six African-American students—four men and two women—more than all prior years combined.
Incoming 1Ls gather at the BAN & BLSA welcome BBQ in 2021.
The numbers of diverse students have increased since then, though there have been times when the numbers were unacceptably low and Black students were not properly represented in their classes or in the community around them. Tremendous efforts have been made, often led by Black students and alumni, to prevent this lack of representation and to keep progressing toward that vision of rich diversity.ÌýThe class of 2024, which has 40 Black students, the most in Ï㽶Ðã Law's history, is a testament to those continuing efforts.
This site is an opportunity to honor and document this rich history and to celebrate the decades of contributions from Black Ï㽶Ðã Law community members as student leaders, educators, academics, judges, activists, litigators, transactional attorneys, visionaries, and everything in between and beyond.
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Highlight: Professor Ruth-Arlene Howe
For more than 30 years, Professor Ruth-Arlene Howe '74 — Ï㽶Ðã Law's first tenured Black professor and co-founder of the Black Alumni Network (BAN) — helped lead the school to new heights. She is a renowned scholar, a cherished mentor to generations of students, and an influential member of the greater Boston legal community and beyond. Learn more about her remarkable story and legacy.
Explore Further
Dive in to learn more about Black student life, read and watch stories about Ï㽶Ðã Law's history, and view profiles of some of our amazing Black alumni.
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Beyond the Classroom
Stories
