'Race, Racism, and American Law: A Seminar from the Indigenous, Black, and Immigrant Legal Perspectives'

21 The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice 1 (2019)

50 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2019

See all articles by Eduardo R.C. Capulong

Eduardo R.C. Capulong

University of Hawaii at Manoa - William S. Richardson School of Law

Andrew King-Ries

University of Montana School of Law

Monte Mills

University of Washington School of Law

Date Written: June 26, 2019

Abstract

Flagrant racism has characterized the Trump era from the onset. Beginning with the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump has inflamed long-festering racial wounds and unleashed white supremacist reaction to the nation’s first black President, in the process destabilizing our sense of the nation’s racial progress and upending core principles of legality, equality, and justice. As law professors, we sought to rise to these challenges and prepare the next generation of lawyers to succeed in a different and more polarized future. Our shared commitment resulted in a new course, “Race, Racism, and American Law,” in which we sought to explore the roots of race and racism and the legal system’s treatment of Native Americans, African-Americans, and immigrants. While we remain uncertain of the success or efficacy of our efforts, this article describes the course, our approach, and some lessons we learned in hopes of promoting additional thought, discussion, and work toward eradicating racism. Perhaps most importantly, our experience demonstrated the limits of traditional legal pedagogy to effectively address these topics. Instead, we found that new approaches—relying on personal disclosure, collaboration, and work across the arbitrary divisions between areas of the law—provided firmer bases for empowering our students to deal with and move beyond America’s ongoing legacy of race and racism.

Suggested Citation

Capulong, Eduardo R.C. and King-Ries, Andrew and Mills, Monte, 'Race, Racism, and American Law: A Seminar from the Indigenous, Black, and Immigrant Legal Perspectives' (June 26, 2019). 21 The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice 1 (2019), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3443117

Eduardo R.C. Capulong (Contact Author)

University of Hawaii at Manoa - William S. Richardson School of Law ( email )

2515 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822-2350
United States

Andrew King-Ries

University of Montana School of Law ( email )

Missoula, MT 59812-0002
United States
(406) 243-2134 (Phone)

Monte Mills

University of Washington School of Law ( email )

William H. Gates Hall
Box 353020
Seattle, WA 98105-3020
United States
206.6163482 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://law.uw.edu

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