Published: Jan. 4, 2021 By

Following a successful launch in 2020, the University of Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Law School’s Race and the Law lecture series will continue in 2021 with an impressive lineup of faculty and alumni speakers.

Professors Kristen Carpenter, Ann England, Alexia Brunet Marks, and Ahmed White; director of the Korey Wise Innocence Project Anne-Marie Moyes; postdoctoral fellow Hunter Knapp ('20); and civil rights and criminal defense attorney Tyrone Glover ('09) are slated to speak on the ways in which racism manifests itself in various areas of the law.

This year’s lineup expands the series' impact through partnerships with diversity bar associations, student groups, and alumni experts.

"As we seek to confront racism and its manifestations around us, the Race and the Law lecture series provides a much-needed opportunity to hear from thought leaders in our community who are committed to dismantling the persistent manifestations of inequality, and to reflect on what each of us can do to address the issues presented," said Dean S. James Anaya. "I look forward to more thought-provoking conversations in 2021."

The Race and the Law lecture series began in September 2020 as part of Anaya's Anti-Racism and Representation Initiative. Announced in July, the year-long initiative includes a broad range of actions and programs to confront racism and advance greater inclusion in legal education and the legal profession.

Approximately 500 individuals attended Race and the Law sessions in 2020. Topics including race and the Constitution, how race and the idea of equality have played out in federal law; the criminal legal system’s disproportionate adverse effect on the privacy interests of people of color and impoverished communities; and how the city of Denver has addressed the special challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic for people of color. Past sessions are available to watch here.

See below for more information and to register for upcoming Race and the Law sessions.

Each session will take place from 5 until 6:15 p.m. MT.

February 18

Race and Religion: A Case Study on Indigenous Peoples in the United States

Presented by Kristen Carpenter, Council Tree Professor of Law


February 23

Criminalizing Race: A Practitioner’s Perspective on Policing and Mass Incarceration

Presented by Tyrone Glover ('09), civil rights and criminal defense attorney, Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP


March 11

Racial Implications of Injustices in Food and Agriculture

Presented by Alexia Brunet Marks, associate professor of law, and Hunter Knapp (’20), postdoctoral research fellow


April 29

When Black Lives Don't Matter: Years Lost to Wrongful Convictions in the Black Community

Presented by Anne-Marie Moyes, director, Korey Wise Innocence Project at Å·ÃÀ¿Ú±¬ÊÓƵ Law, and Ann England, clinical professor of law


May 6

The Diversification of Inequality: The Question of Class and the Politics of Inclusion

Presented by Ahmed White, Nicholas Rosenbaum Professor of Law