On its page dedicated to the celebration of Black History Month, the American Bar Association (ABA) lists links to a number of resources that provide a foundation for exploring and honoring the past, present, and possible future experiences of Black people within the law and the legal profession. The following are just a few of the resources found on the site.

 

This series, which was produced in 2020 and features three African American past presidents of the ABA, examines the struggle for racial equity within the legal profession. The program is broken down into four sessions:

• Session One: The Foundation
• Session Two: The Focus
• Session Three: The Future
• Session Four: Black Leaders in Government – Challenges, Opportunities, and Solutions 

Black Legal Trailblazers

 

This presentation features Black legal trailblazers from the 1800s to the present. According to the website’s description of the collection, “The individuals have not only been powerful examples of leadership in the legal profession, but have brought about historic change and progress to make the legal field more inclusive today, and more representative of our population as a whole.”

 

The Challenge, which was conceived by diversity expert Eddie Moore, Jr., seeks “to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest of racial equity.” There are 21 short assignments that include readings, videos, or podcasts that focus on the Black American experience.

 

You can visit the ABA’s Celebrating Black History page to find more information. If you would like to look beyond the American Bar Association for additional Black History Month resources, consider the following:

 

Find a list of events sponsored by Samford University that are designed to honor the contributions of African Americans to society and the university community.

 

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) provides information about the annual themes for Black History Month. This year’s theme focuses on Black Health and Wellness.

 

BlackHistoryMonth.gov [Link broken as of 9/11/23]

This website is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.