​The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) at Vermont Law School will present its annual Race and the Law Forum from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, in Chase Community Center at VLS. Free and open to the public and press, the forum will focus on issues related to environmental law and policy, social activism, and voting rights.

"Race is a complex issue both in terms of how Americans deal with race and how federal and state policies affect communities of color and low-income communities," said Sherri White-Williamson JD/MERL’18, secretary of the BLSA. "Socioeconomic class plays a key role in how our communities are policed and served. Through this forum we will explore some of the impacts associated with current public policy."

Race and the Law Forum presentations and guests include:

  • 9:30 to 11 a.m.: Environmental Policy and Law Panel
    This panel will focus on work between Earthjustice and the Environmental and Natural Resources Clinic (ENRLC) at VLS. The discussion will assess federal and state environmental authorities and their impact on communities of color and low-income communities. Panelists also will discuss challenges in addressing environmental justice through current public policy.
    – Marianne Engelman Lado, Senior Staff Attorney, Earthjustice
    – Patrick Parenteau, Professor of Law and Senior Counsel, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Vermont Law School
    – Ken Rumelt, Professor of Law and Senior Counsel, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Vermont Law School

  • 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: Luncheon Keynote on Social Activism
    The luncheon keynote will focus on social activism and the importance of social action to create change. Keynote speaker King Downing will provide his insight regarding social movements and legal observers.
    – King Downing, Director of Mass Defense, National Lawyers Guild (NLG); Founder, Human Rights-Racial Justice Center

  • 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Presentation on Voting Rights
    This presentation will focus on changes in voting rights laws across the country, their impact on the ability of people of color, low-income and elderly individuals to participate in the process, and possible results when they are excluded.
    – Charles "Chuck" Walker, Trial and Appellate Lawyer and Mediator, Boston Law Collaborative, LLC

  • 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.: National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer Program Training
    The NLG Legal Observer Program is designed to enable people to express their political views as fully as possible without unconstitutional disruption or interference by the police. During the training at VLS, participants will be guided through the Legal Observer Manual. Continuing legal education (CLE) credit is available.
    – King Downing, Director of Mass Defense, National Lawyers Guild (NLG); Founder, Human Rights-Racial Justice Center

    For more information about the Race and the Law Forum, including CLE credit, email SherriWhite@vermontlaw.edu or BLSA@vermontlaw.edu.

    The Black Law Students Association at Vermont Law School is a chapter of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), the nation’s largest student-run organization representing nearly 6,000 minority law students from more than 200 chapters and affiliates throughout the United States and abroad. For more information about the BLSA at VLS, visit vermontlaw.edu/community/student-groups/black-law-students-association.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.​