Faculty of color play a significant
role in shaping clinical programing and developing courses to expose students
to a greater and deeper understanding of the issues surrounding access to
justice, particularly in communities of color. This program will explore the
importance of that role and the position that faculty of color find themselves
in during these challenging times. Clinical faculty of color are poised to play
a leading role in supporting access to justice efforts at their respective law
schools. And clinical faculty are often the “first responders” to challenges
that confront clinics, such as internal budgetary constraints, external
economic and political pressures, as well as continuing to provide valuable
legal services to underserved communities. These front line clinical faculty
may also find themselves fighting battles at home because of professional
status issues that sometimes threaten job security, enhanced obligations to
students and communities of color or limitations (real or perceived) on their
participation in faculty governance or speech. These challenges are
inextricably tied to the ability of clinical faculty to promote access to
justice. This program will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by
faculty of color who teach in law school clinical programs.
This program will consist of a single panel
presentation featuring a moderator and three speakers. The format will feature
15 minute talks from each speaker, questions posed by the moderator and
questions from the audience.