Critical Race Theory: Truth, Lies, and The Law

Panel 1 (9-10:30)

Critically Interrogating the Twin Promises of American Democracy: Politics, Economics, and the Struggle for Full Equality 

This panel will use critical race theory to examine the interrelated promises of American Reconstruction -- full economic access and genuine political equality. The panelists will explore the incomplete and illusory nature of these promises and how their failures affect people of color today.

Panelists:

Olympia Duhart, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Development, Shepard Broad College of Law, Nova Southeastern University. 

Atiba R. Ellis, Professor of Law, Marquette University Law School

Priya Baskaran, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic, American University Washington College of Law. 

Panel 2 (10:45-12:15)

Property Law and CRT

This panel will explore themes relating to the intersection of property law and critical race theory, including urban development, gentrification, and the historical persistence of the racialization of space.

Panelists:

Taja-Nia Y. Henderson, Professor Rutgers Law School; Dean Graduate School Rutgers Newark

Jamila Jefferson-Jones, Professor Wayne State University School of Law; Associate Director for Property, Equity & Justice, Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights

Jacob A. Wagner, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design, University of Missouri Kansas City; Director of Urban Studies; Co-Founder, Center for Neighborhoods

Keynote Speaker & Reactions Panel (12:30-2:00)

A Discussion with Professor Cheryl Harris & Reflections on CRT in Tennessee

Professor Harris will provide remarks on her take on the past, current, and future of CRT.   Following, the panelists will engage symposium attendees on how the CRT battle is being fought in Memphis and more broadly in Tennessee.

Panelists:

Cheryl I. Harris, Vice Dean for Community, Equity and Justice University of California Los Angeles; Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Andre E. Johnson, Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, University of Memphis; Scholar in Residence, Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change

Duane Loynes, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Africana Studies, Rhodes College

Charles McKinney, Neville Frierson Bryan Chair of Africana Studies and Associate Professor of History, Rhodes College

Moderator:

Darrell Jackson, Herbert Herff Chair of Excellence, University of Memphis School of Law; Professor & Director of Prosecution Assistance Program, University of Wyoming College of Law

Panel 3 (2-3:30)

Fundamental Rights and Obligations from a Critical Perspective

This panel will apply the tools of critical race theory to discuss fundamental rights and obligations. The panelists will explore racial privilege and oppression in education, technology, and healthcare.

Panelists:

Ruqaiijah Yearby, Professor of Law at St. Louis University School of Law; Center for Health Law Studies; William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law; Executive Director and Co-Founder, Institute for Healing Justice and Equity.

Christian Powell Sundquist, Professor of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Law; formerly Associate Dean of Faculty Research and Scholarship at Albany Law School, co-founder of The Institute for Racial Justice Research and Advocacy at Albany Law School.

Areto A. Imoukhuede, Professor of Law at the Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) College of Law; co-founder of the John Mercer Langston, Black Male Writing Workshop.