Michigan State University College of Law Black Law Student Association members pictured with Harold Henderson, Harold Henderson Jr., and Dean Linda Sheryl Greene at a panel event celebrating Black History Month. Henderson is an MSU?Law alum who is a retired NFL executive vice president and former chief legal officer.
Photo courtesy of MSU Law
By Jake Jenkins
MSU Law
Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.
In response to the lack of information on the accomplishments of Black people available to the public, historian Carter G. Woodson co-founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, the group declared the second week of February as “Negro History Week” to recognize the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history, which later was recognized for the whole month in 1976.
At Michigan State University College of Law, there are resources for students who identify as of African descent.
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) unites Black students in the common purpose of scholastic achievement through diverse educational, professional, and community service experiences.
“We provide resources for students to feel comfortable with their professors and courses and also provide a sense of community for Black students at the college,” said Morgan Ward, ’23, vice president of BLSA. “We are a professional organization and promote the growth of Black students at MSU Law.”
Both Ward and BLSA president, Taylor Hall, are third-year law students who started their journeys attending classes online and had no in-person interaction with their cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to have a sense of community during all the uncertainty at the time,” Hall said.
“I’m not from Michigan and other than my grandparents, I didn’t know anyone in the state,” Ward said. “It was nice to find a group of people I could connect and form friendships with especially being isolated during the pandemic.”
In 1968, law students at Detroit College of Law (now known as MSU Law) founded the Wolverine Student Bar Association (WSBA)/BLSA as an umbrella organization for Black law students enrolled at Detroit College of Law with the first executive board being all male.
In 2023, BLSA’s executive board features all women, representing growth within society and how positions of power are becoming equally aligned.
“I think it’s powerful,” Ward said. “It shows that the Black community in the legal field is expanding in a great way and shows black women are thriving in leadership roles.”
“It reflects how different leadership styles can be accepted in the legal field,” Hall said. “The Black woman’s perspective in the legal profession needs to be heard, this evolution of leadership reflects more respect for our voices.”
Aside from working within the law college, BLSA mentor undergrad students at MSU interested in attending law school and seeking information on the process. The organization also guides first-year members, especially preparing them for their Bluebook tests, an annual exam for first-year students.
BLSA is involved with two events for this month, Douglass Day, which is on February 14, and Conversation on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kyra Bolden on February 21.
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