[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 137 (Friday, September 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2377]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING HOWARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON-

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 2009

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kilpatrick for 
introducing this resolution honoring Howard University School of Law's 
140-year legacy of social justice and commitment to training social 
engineers.
  If it were not for the legal battles waged by and won by lawyers from 
the Howard University School of Law, it is very unlikely that neither 
the progress or individual accomplishments obtained would have reached 
the heights we enjoy today.
  As the first law school dedicated to educating African Americans, the 
doors of Howard University School of Law opened in 1869. The school was 
created to meet the need to train African Americans in protecting their 
newly established rights granted by the 13th and 14th Amendments of the 
Constitution. During this first year, six students committed to legal 
activism met in the homes and offices of part-time faculty.
  As the years progressed and the number of students and the number of 
faculty grew, the school's commitment to public service was unwavering.
  The mission of this school is guided by the wise words of Charles 
Hamilton Houston, who is widely regarded as the ``man who killed Jim 
Crow.'' He later went on to serve as the NAACP litigation director and 
Dean of Howard University School of Law. Charles Hamilton Houston once 
said, ``A lawyer's either a social engineer or a parasite on society.'' 
These inspiring words have led many students to enroll in the law 
school because of their interest and devotion to public service.
  This quote and many other quotes from African American leaders line 
the halls of the school to inspire students, professors, and visitors 
every day.
  Indeed, the men and women who graduated from Howard University School 
of Law became early pioneers and changed the fabric of our Nation.
  The law school served as a training ground for graduates such as 
Oliver Hill, Spottswood Robinson II, and Thurgood Marshall who all 
played important and influential roles in the Supreme Court case, Brown 
v. Board of Education. Thurgood Marshall was the lead litigator in 
Brown, where the Supreme Court ruled that the segregation of students 
in public schools ultimately led to unequal educational opportunities. 
This case, which was decided in 1954, led to the abolishment of racial 
segregation.
  The very halls of this Congress are filled with Howard Law School 
alum who are dedicated to social change and public service.
  Mariel Lim, an able and exceptional attorney who is a member of my 
staff, spent her most formative year of law school at Howard and 
applies the formidable skills she acquired there in the service of the 
residents of the 37th Congressional District of California and the 
Nation.
  My Legislative Director, Gregory Berry, taught Torts, Legal Methods, 
Legal Writing 2, Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing to hundreds of 
students who graduated and became social engineers. During the 8 years 
he taught at Howard, Gregory coached Howard's acclaimed National Moot 
Court Team, which afforded students the opportunity to hone their 
writing and advocacy skills in intercollegiate competitions. 
Additionally, Gregory Berry was counsel of record on the amicus curiae 
brief he and two faculty colleagues submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court 
on behalf of Howard's law students in the Grutter v. Bollinger case, 
which upheld affirmative action in law school admissions.
  I am not the only Member who benefits from these dedicated graduates. 
There are numerous other Howard alumni serving the cause of justice 
here on the Hill.
  I congratulate the Howard University on their 140th anniversary of 
its extraordinary law school.
  I know our Nation will be well-served for years to come by its 
graduates who will continue to provide, ``Leadership for America and 
the Global Community.''

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