Mayor Nutter, Professor Charles Ogletree to Highlight Diversity Speaker Series

January 20, 2012 - To celebrate Black History Month, Temple BLSA (Black Law Students Association) will host a Diversity Speaker Series with events running from the end of January through March 2012.  The series will kick off with Professor Hosea Harvey, who will talk to students about “Networking as A Diverse Candidate” on January 31st.  Series highlights include a joint presentation on February 10th by Mayor Michael Nutter and Naomi McLaurin, the Director of Diversity for the Philadelphia Bar Association, titled “Diversity in the City of Philadelphia”; a presentation on February 21st by the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Philadelphia Chapter featuring the Honorable Jacqueline F. Allen and  Chair of the NBA WLD Membership committee, Sammetria Goodson ‘11; and an appearance by Harvard Law Professor Charles J. Ogletree, whose remarks will be titled “The Conundrum of Race in the Age of Obama.”

The Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law chapter of the National Black Law Students Association (Temple BLSA) was created in 1969 to meet the academic, social and professional needs of African-American law students.  The scope of the organization has expanded over the last forty-one years to positively impact the entire law school community - bringing awareness, opportunity and cultural exposure. And though great strides have been made in the diversification of many sectors of the legal community, Philadelphia still lags behind many states in the nation when it comes to diversity. At the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year, Temple BLSA decided to undertake a very ambitious Diversity Agenda. Our goal is to change perceptions of the legal community pertaining to issues of diversity by increasing awareness and supporting our members academically and professionally to the best of our abilities.