Vermont Law School’s Office of Student Affairs and Diversity presents a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration entitled “Out of the Mountain of Despair, A Stone of Hope” on Tuesday, January 21, from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in the Chase Community Center. The guest speaker will be the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Chief Judge of the District of Columbia (DC) Court of Appeals.

Before March 2017, Blackburne-Rigsby served as an associate judge of the DC Court of Appeals. She chairs the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration for the District of Columbia court system and is currently an adjunct professor at the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia.

“We are honored to have such a distinguished and accomplished jurist with us for this event,” said Shirley A. Jefferson, associate dean for student affairs and diversity and associate professor of law. “Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby brings a long and storied career both in private practice and on the bench.”

Born in Washington, DC, Blackburne-Rigsby earned a bachelor of arts degree from Duke University and a law degree from Howard University School of Law. She was named “2018 Woman Lawyer of the Year” by the Women’s Bar Association of DC.

The event is free and open to the public and press. Refreshments will be provided after the talk. For more information or to watch the celebration via livestream, go to www.vermontlaw.edu/live.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s premier environmental law program. VLS offers a juris doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; four master’s degrees-Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy, and Master of Arts in Restorative Justice; and four post-JD degrees-LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and an 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 Advocacy Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, Environmental Justice Clinic, and Center for Justice Reform. For more information, visit ​vermontlaw.edu​, find us on ​Facebook​, and follow us on T​witter ​and ​Instagram​.