Ever wonder how lawyers and law professionals keep their cool, or lack thereof, while discussing polarizing issues such as abortion, gay rights, or police brutality? I was very curious about this precise topic while I was walking around the halls of the 2016 AALS Annual Meeting, deciding which session to attend. I scrolled through the handy-dandy AALS app and found a session called Law and Religion: a conversation about religious responses to same-sex marriage. Bingo! I took one of the last empty seats in the nearly-full room and prepared for a theological and legislative showdown.

I was slightly disappointed when, to my dismay, moderator Michael Helfand carefully navigated the contentious issue at hand.

A few different viewpoints were represented by the speakers of the panel. New York Times reporter Erik Eckholm spoke about his experiences covering the gay marriage beat. Professor Katherine Franke of Columbia University spoke about discrimination in the LGBT community, particularly surrounding the issues of civil unions and legal marriage. Russell Reno, editor of the conservative religious journal First Things, discussed the role of morality in modern law. Kevin Walsh delivered his views about the changing social view of gay marriage in America, as well as a few (in my opinion, slightly problematic) remarks surrounding the “abandonment” of the definition of marriage. Robin F. Wilson spoke eloquently about same-sex marriage, religious liberty, and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (aka RFRA).

Despite the opposing views of a few members on the panel, each speaker presented his or her viewpoint with respect and extremely high levels of academic integrity. (Many of the speakers are published, if not celebrated, legal studies authors.)

I was originally drawn to this topic because I thought same-sex marriage was an extremely polarizing subject. Don’t get me wrong, it is definitely polarizing–especially if you have been unlucky enough to bring up the subject at a family dinner where someone starts citing the Bible and bringing up the argument that “homosexuality is a sin.” But the reality at the AALS meeting was that the topic was not discussed at a dinner table in between servings of mashed potatoes and burnt brussel sprouts. As my seat-neighbor David Pimentel mentioned, everyone presented their views respectfully while still acknowledging that their perspectives were different from that of their peers. It was at this moment that I wished law school students could have sat in on the discussion, because it was truly a master class on professionalism.

I took a very different approach later in the day when I scanned the AALS schedule looking for a second session to attend. Instead of seeking out controversy, I looked for a course where I hoped to learn something new. My wish was granted when I sat in on the Civil Rights session. Gilda Daniels, Professor Lynda Dodd, Angela Mae Kupenda, Audrey McFarlane, and Kindaka Sanders all appeared on the panel. My non-law school educated mind zero-ed in on three main topics that were discussed: affordable housing, the use of technology to facilitate equality, and police brutality. Audrey McFarlane spoke about how inequality leads to housing challenges, especially in urban environments such as New York City. She brought up the “poor door” debacle in New York back in April of 2015. Essentially, the story goes that there was a luxury apartment building that set aside a few units for lower-income tenants, as stipulated by the city’s Inclusionary Housing Program. However, the owner of the building ordered two different entrances to be made; one large and elegant entrance for the luxury tenants, and one smaller, simpler entrance for the lower income tenants. Even after controversy arose regarding the disparity between the two entrances, 88,000 people applied for the 55 available units.

McFarlane noted that even now, in the 21st century, people are opting to “take a little discrimination” if it means that they can move to a safer and more affordable neighborhood. McFarlane questioned the practice of inclusionary housing, and urged her fellow colleagues to think about new and innovative ways to make safe housing available to families living in public housing. Would that mean implementing a lottery system wherein a family could have the chance to move from the Bronx to the suburbs? Is integration the goal, or is access? Will creating more community centers improve a neighborhood?

Gilda Daniels and Professor Lynda Dodd brought up ideas surrounding social equality and technology. Specifically, Professor Dodd mentioned Campaign Zero, which is an online initiative that seeks to end police violence through comprehensive policy reform. Their infographics are easily digestible, and all of their information is carefully researched by four leading Black Lives Matter Activists; Samuel Sinyangwe, Brittany Packnett, DeRay McKesson, and Johnetta Elzie. With the rise of social media, activists in rural areas are not limited to convening only in local areas, where it might be difficult to organize people in a physical space. The internet allows for the organization of like-minded individuals no matter where they are physically located.

When I spoke with Angela Mae Kupenda, she also mentioned the importance of staying connected to civil rights groups through the use of technology. “I think social media plays a major role in reinvigorating a movement, because it gets the information out, so that people know what’s going on,” Professor Kupenda said,

It also inspires students. If you see what’s happening at other schools or other cities, you can immediately know what’s going on. That can inspire you to do something the same way, or to do something different.

Mixing tech-talk with good old-fashioned books, Professor Kupenda also offered up a suggested reading list for professors or students who are interested in civil rights history. Her picks include “Reproducing Racism” by Daria Roithmayr and “Black Like Me” by John Howard Griffin, an account of how a white reporter went “undercover” as a black man in the Deep South of the 1950s.

Kindaka Sanders spoke about police brutality, and the concept of self-policing a local community. When he spoke about the Black Panther Party openly and legally carrying guns until the law was changed to prevent open-carry opportunities, I thought of the recent open-carry announcement in Texas. (Namely, that as of January 1, 2015, any person who has a license for a firearm can legally open carry in the state of Texas, even if they are not a resident of the state).

Many Texans support the new open-carry law, but what would happen if a group of young black men (ala the Black Panther Party) decided to re-appropriate the law and follow Texas police officers while showcasing their right to open-carry?

This session on Civil Rights was food for thought–in fact, it was an entire banquet for me. So often, college graduates (or people who have not sat in a classroom for a long time) can get sucked into their own bubble of issues. Living in the tri-state area, I sometimes take it for granted that many people around me support same-sex marriage and gay rights. Sitting in on the Law and Religion session reminded me that although this country has made progress in the realm of gay rights, we still have a long way to go to bring LGBT issues into mainstream conversations and legislation. Similarly, after listening to the speakers of the Civil Rights session, I have realized that it is imperative that lawyers and policy makers address and rectify the systemic racism that is still very much alive today.

Through attending sessions at the AALS Annual Meeting and interacting with other people involved in law academia, I was able to step outside of my bubble and think of issues that affected Americans on a macro scale, not just on my own teeny tiny micro level. I would urge anyone interested in the AALS to definitely check out their website (found here) and consider attending next year’s meeting in San Francisco.

Corinne Fitamant

Corinne Fitamant is a graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center where she received a Bachelors degree in Communications and a minor in Theatre Arts. When she isn’t pondering issues of social justice and/or celebrity culture, she can be found playing the guitar and eating chocolate. Contact Corinne at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Law, Religion, and Civil Rights: Adventure at the AALS Annual Meeting appeared first on Law Street.

Law school students and professors all over the country are marching back to their universities as they begin their first official semester of 2016. Some may be dragging their feet, though, as they think about the events of the previous year. Law school enrollment continued to fall, and some law professionals have seen pay cuts as a result of the aftermath of the recession. Thankfully, a new year brings new and innovative possibilities in the form of the Association of American Law Schools. Their Annual Meeting this year addressed important issues such as lowering law school drop-out rates and finding jobs for students post-graduation. Here’s what I learned when I attended the 110^th Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting in New York City as a correspondent for Law Street Media:

The event is the largest worldwide gathering of law faculty and staff, featuring over 800 speakers and attendees from 179 different law schools. I sat in on the session for first-time attendees to get an overview of the AALS conference, and to speak with other people who were also experiencing the Annual Meeting for the first time. The “greeter” panel consisted of Executive Director Judith Areen, Bradley A. Areheart, current AALS president Blake D. Morant, incoming AALS president Kellye Y. Testy, and Michael E. Waterstone. The panel spoke frankly about the high cost of attendance for the conference, and announced that they will continue to extend deep discounts for new teachers. Areheart stressed the importance of networking opportunities during the conference and encouraged the audience of law professionals to make time to meet new people and swap stories about their experiences in their particular fields of study.

Morant warmly greeted all newcomers in the audience and similarly encouraged everyone to take ownership of their experience at the AALS conference, no matter if they were a first year teacher or seasoned professor. After the panel, I asked what led him to create this year’s AALS Annual Meeting theme, “From Challenge to Innovation: Legal Education in 2016.” He noted that law professionals as well as law schools are still feeling the negative effects of the most recent recession, in terms of a downturn in the number of available jobs.

“One of the things I’ve noticed is that law schools are re-tooling,” Morant explained:

Law schools have put in innovations such as externships along with practicums. All of these things show synergy between what they learn in the classroom and what happens in the real world, and that has been hugely innovative. So as I came up with the theme, I said, oh my goodness, everything has changed! But I think law schools are innovating, and adapting to that challenge.

Morant also reasoned that practical experience teaches students professionalism, a hugely important skill that law school graduates must learn.

Associate Professor of Law, Virginia Harper Ho from the University of Kansas School of Law echoed Morant’s sentiments, and predicts that the effects of the financial crisis will cause further structural shifts in the legal profession as well as academia. She shares a desire to prepare her students as well as she possibly can for the “real world,” which may in fact include more access to externships and practical experiences.

As the “first-timers” meeting continued, there was much excitement surrounding a session called the Arc of Career. When I spoke with Professor Jennifer Rosa from Michigan State University College of Law, she said that her attendance at this year’s AALS conference was largely due to the relevant programming, including sessions surrounding the arc of a law professor’s career.

Many law professionals in the meeting room of AALS expressed that after they overcame the initial fear of starting a career in law or education, they wanted more guidance or feedback once they hit their mid-career stride. Specifically, Rosa voiced her interest in becoming established in academia as a writer now that she has cultivated her pedagogical voice.

Rosa has taught Street Law for the past 11 years. The course includes community outreach, “where professors train law students to go out into the high schools and teach high school students aspects of the law that would apply to them.” The course has evolved to include the use of podcasts as a teaching tool. Rosa has also created videos for an organization called LegalED. Video content on LegalED is modeled after the popular TED Talk format. The organization seeks to use the power of the internet for legal education. Professors all over the United States are putting the 2016 AALS theme into practice, using technology to respond to unique challenges in their classrooms that could not have even been foreseen five or six years ago.

AALS gives people like Professor Rosa and Professor Harper Ho a rare chance to connect with other law professionals from schools all around the country. Over the course of several days, they attended specific sessions that were organized according to different hot topics in law. After the initial meeting, I went on to attend two sessions: one entitled “Law and Religion,” which discussed religious responses to same-sex marriage, and one called “Civil Rights,” which examined civil rights movements in the 21^st century. Stay tuned for recaps and responses from these two sessions.

Corinne Fitamant

Corinne Fitamant is a graduate of Fordham College at Lincoln Center where she received a Bachelors degree in Communications and a minor in Theatre Arts. When she isn’t pondering issues of social justice and/or celebrity culture, she can be found playing the guitar and eating chocolate. Contact Corinne at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

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