News

2024 Dec 12, 2024

CLEAR Co-Signs Coalition Letter Calling on President Biden to Commute All Federal Death Sentences

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) has signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to commute the death sentences of 40 federal death row inmates before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Nov 19, 2024

CRRJ Investigation of Jim Crow Era Murder is First Case in Nation to be Released Under the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act

A 1945 racially motivated killing investigated by Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) is the first set of records released by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act, which is charged with reviewing government files of unsolved murder cases during the civil rights era and setting a schedule for the release of previously digitally unavailable documents to the public.

Nov 02, 2024

CLEAR Reports on Black Land Loss, Recommends Strategies to Mitigate Loss and Preserve Land for Future Generations

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) has released a new report on the multifaceted challenges surrounding Black land loss, including its impact on building generational wealth within Black communities.

Oct 29, 2024

Expanding the Vocabulary

In The New York Review, Professor Patricia Willams writes about Kamala Harris and her own journey as “the first” in almost every job in her career. “With warm but firm determination [Harris] brushes aside those who try to split her, like a mille-feuille, into layers and layers of stereotype. I am a little more than a decade older than Harris, and her fearlessness is a skill I have yet to master.

Oct 08, 2024

Northeastern Law Ranked in Top 10 for Racial Justice

In recognition of its national leadership in creating transformative programs and hands-on initiatives, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 9 for racial justice in the fall 2024 issue of preLaw magazine.

Sep 25, 2024

Northeastern Law Announces New Center for Global Law and Justice

Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to announce the launch of a new Center for Global Law and Justice (CGLJ), which employs innovative and collaborative approaches to address the most urgent global challenges of our time.

Sep 24, 2024

The DNA Dreams of the New Eugenics

In an essay for the Los Angles Review of Books’ Legacies of Eugenics series, Professor Patricia Williams explores how “new-genics” projects encode social bias.

Sep 24, 2024

These Moms Smoked Weed Legally. Then Their Kids Were Taken Away

Alexander Stein, staff attorney for Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project and a former public defender in Chicago, comments for Rolling Stone on “child welfare agencies’ tendency to criminalize poverty.”

Sep 17, 2024

Northeastern Law Faculty and Staff Speak at 2024 SALT Teaching Conference

Northeastern Law faculty and staff will share their expertise with peers from across the country at the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) 2024 Teaching Conference, which will be held September 20–21, 2024.

Sep 13, 2024

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force Receives Shaw Foundation Funding to Support Reentry and Recidivism Projects

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) has been gifted $10,000 by the Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation.

Sep 04, 2024

CLEAR Leaders Speak about Reparations at Martha’s Vineyard Town Hall

The powerhouse song, “Time for Reparations,” by the Sounds of Blackness opened a town hall about reparations on Martha’s Vineyard on July 30. Professor Margaret Burnham, faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) was the featured speaker; Dr. Deborah Jackson, managing director of CLEAR was a panelist.

Aug 22, 2024

CLEAR Welcomes 19 Summer Interns

This summer, Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Clinic (CRRJ),  Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) and  Criminal Justice Task Force welcomed 19 interns  from across the country.

Aug 12, 2024

Rethinking Public Safety

In a forthcoming article co-authored for the Rutgers University Law Review, Professor Deborah Ramirez, co-director of CLEAR, and Malcolm Clarke, CLEAR’s Elizabeth Zitrin Justice Fellow, argue that the use of armed police can be dramatically scaled back, and replaced with unarmed public safety responders with more positive outcomes.

Jul 26, 2024

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Awards $150,000 Grant to Support Third Year of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has awarded $150,000 to fund a second year of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship Program.

Jul 25, 2024

CLEAR Hosts Judge Reginald C. Lindsay Fellows

On July 3, 2024, Northeastern University School of Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) hosted a reception for the 2025 cohort of Judge Reginald C. Lindsay Fellows, eight college students from institutions across the country who are undertaking a nine-week summer internship.

Jul 01, 2024

CLEAR Faculty Fellow Presentations Explore Race, Equity and Social Justice

On June 3 and 13, 2024, the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) Faculty Fellows presented their projects before Northeastern University School of Law faculty, staff and students, gathered online and in the Moot Courtroom in Dockser Hall.

Jun 26, 2024

CLEAR Announces Two Northeastern Law Students Awarded Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarships

The Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that Owen Engler ’26 and Meghan Leong ’25 have each been awarded a Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship.

Jun 25, 2024

Professor Patricia Williams’ Latest Book Explores Where History, Law and Identity Collide

With her trademark elegant prose and critical theory wisdom, Professor Patricia Williams offers an expansive and deeply humane lens in a new collection of essays, The Miracle of the Black Leg: Notes on Race, Human Bodies, and the Spirit of the Law (The New Press, 2024), that explores the tricky places where history, law and identity collide.

Jun 23, 2024

A ‘Tremendous Opportunity.’ Northeastern Researchers Dig into Boston’s Past in Support of Boston’s Reparations Task Force

“Our city’s leaders have opened up a vital opportunity for those who live and work here to learn about how slavery and its wide-ranging aftermath have impacted our common history as well as our unique experiences,” says Professor Margaret Burnham, one of the leaders of a Northeastern research team that has been selected to provide key support for the City of Boston’s Task Force on Reparations.

Jun 06, 2024

Donated Bodies: CRRJ Director to Co-Direct New Project, Examining Treatment of Human Remains

This summer, Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) will team up with Professor Kris Manjapra, faculty fellow with Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), to lead an eight-week project that seeks to evaluate the ethical concerns raised by the widespread US practice of disposing of executed and deceased prisoners’ remains by donating their bodies to science, medicine or archival purposes.

May 17, 2024

CLEAR Hosts 2023-2024 Faculty Fellow Symposium Series

The Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) worked with each of its faculty fellows to organize a symposium or discussion with other scholars in their respective field of research to deepen the levels of understandings and to explore strategies to expand their scholarship.

Apr 02, 2024

Criminal Justice Task Force Hires Summer Doctoral Student to Expand Jail-To-Jobs Initiative

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) is pleased to announce that Michel-Ange Siaba will be joining CJTF’s Jail-to-Jobs initiative as an Experiential Summer Scholar.

Mar 18, 2024

Professor Margaret Burnham Gives Talk at SXSW 2024

Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, spoke at SXSW, the South by Southwest Conference, in March 2024. She joined a panel of social justice experts to discuss Policing and Modern-Day Lynchings in the Rural South.

Mar 14, 2024

Suffolk and Northeastern Host First Restorative Justice Training for Mass. Court Judges

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), in collaboration with Suffolk University’s Center for Restorative Justice (CRJ), held the commonwealth’s first-ever training in community-centered, restorative justice practices for Massachusetts state court judges.

Feb 25, 2024

CLEAR Directors Panelists at MassBar Event on the Origins of Restorative Justice

Restorative justice efforts are happening within the trial courts on the state and federal level, schools, workplaces and programs. To address related issues, the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Judicial Administration Section and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC) hosted a two-part program series that included expert observations by Professor Deborah A. Ramirez and Dr. Deborah A. Jackson, faculty co-director and managing director, respectively, of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR).

Jan 29, 2024

CLEAR Announces Two Northeastern Law Students Awarded Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarships

The Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that Anna Olsson ’24 and José Vallejo-Jimenez ’25 have each been awarded a Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarship.

Jan 24, 2024

Northeastern Law Team Selected as Research Partner by Boston’s Task Force on Reparations

The City of Boston’s Task Force on Reparations has selected a Northeastern University School of Law team, led by renowned civil rights leader University Distinguished Professor of Law Margaret Burnham to research the multi-generational impact of slavery on Black Bostonians; the team’s report will play a central role in guiding the city’s reparations efforts.

Jan 22, 2024

Criminal Justice Task Force Launches Resource App for Returning Citizens

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force has jointly launched the Massachusetts Reentry Resource Directory, an online resource to help returning citizens, their families and other marginalized communities access services that may be crucial to successful reentry.

Jan 15, 2024

CLEAR’s Charlotte Mathews-Nelson Honored During Martin Luther King Day Celebration

Congratulations to Charlotte Mathews-Nelson, who was honored for her 45 years of service at Northeastern University’s annual Martin Luther King Day event.

Jan 02, 2024

CLEAR Workshop on Black Land Ownership Preservation Highlights Innovative Approaches

The Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) delivered a virtual workshop titled Preserving Black Land: Ownership: Crafting and Disseminating Effective Strategies and Tools on December 5, 2023.

2023 Dec 18, 2023

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force Hosts Inaugural Jail-to-Jobs Roundtable

Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force convened the inaugural Jail-to-Jobs Pipeline Project roundtable last month, gathering more than 20 criminal justice experts to advise and assist the task force in creating a robust structure that provides justice-involved individuals successful employment development, with the goal of reducing recidivism across Massachusetts.

Dec 07, 2023

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Donates $1 Million to Salus Populi Judicial Education Program

Northeastern Law’s Center for Health Policy and Law (CHPL), in collaboration with Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences’ Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research, has received $1 million from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to support and expand upon Salus Populi, the nation’s first education program for judges that provides critical information about the social determinants of health.

Nov 29, 2023

CLEAR Hosts Presentation by Dr. Godfrey Vincent, Author of Rebels at the Gates

George Weekes was one of the most influential figures in the politics and trade union movement of Trinidad from the 1960s. To bring Weekes’ story to life and discuss his impact in Trinidad and beyond, Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) hosted Dr. Godfrey Vincent, author of Rebels at the Gates: The Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) in the Era of George Weekes, 1962-1987, and a panel of scholars dedicated to the research and organizing of labor movements, on November 17, 2023.

Nov 15, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Wins Hurston/Wright Legacy Award

Professor Margaret Burnham has won the 2023 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, for her book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners. The Hurston/Wright Legacy Award honors Black writers and is the first national award presented to and by Black authors.

Nov 02, 2023

CLEAR Responds to Guilty Plea in Tyre Nichols Case

“The guilty plea by the ex-Memphis police officer, Desmond Mills Jr., to two federal charges is the first real step towards justice for the family of Tyre Nichols,” says Dr. Deborah Jackson, managing director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR).

Sep 10, 2023

Margaret Burnham Honored in 23rd Annual Massachusetts Book Award

Professor Margaret Burnham’s book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, has been named Honors in Nonfiction in the 23rd Annual Massachusetts Book Awards program! Burnham, founder and director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ), will be celebrated at a State House awards ceremony in October.

Sep 05, 2023

Community Justice Reimagined

The summer edition of the Boston Bar Journal highlights the work of Community Justice Support Centers, a state- wide; state- funded reentry network, spearheaded by Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force.

Aug 29, 2023

Northeastern Law Receives Top Rankings for Public Interest, Health Law and Human Rights

In recognition of its national leadership in preparing students for public interest lawyering, Northeastern University School of Law has been ranked No. 2 for public interest in the 2023 “back to school” issue of preLaw magazine. The magazine also awarded the school “A+” grades in health law and human rights.

Aug 29, 2023

Burnham, Bonauto and Kauffman to be Inducted into MLW Hall of Fame

Northeastern University School of Law is proud to announce that Professor Margaret Burnham, Mary Bonauto ’87 and Joyce Kauffman ’92 will be inducted into Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s inaugural Hall of Fame. Members of the inaugural class were selected based on their career accomplishments, contributions to the development of the law in Massachusetts, contributions to the bar and efforts to improve the quality of justice in Massachusetts. 

Jul 31, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Honored with Mass Humanities Governor’s Award

Professor Margaret Burnham will be honored with a 2023 Mass Humanities Governor’s Award, which recognizes individuals whose public actions enhance civic life in the commonwealth through a deep appreciation of the humanities. Burnham has been singled out for her “dedication to exploring history, illuminating truth and confronting injustice in order to protect civil and human rights locally, nationally and internationally.”

Jul 28, 2023

A Record of Violence

In an interview with the Boston Review, Professor Margaret Burnham discusses her book, By Hands Now Known, and the ways in which Black people challenged and documented racist violence during the Jim Crow era.

Jul 25, 2023

CLEAR Announces Summer Cohort of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarships

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce the summer term recipients of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Judicial Scholarships. The two Northeastern Law students awarded $8,000 scholarships are Andrew Anderton ’25, on co-op with Judge Mark Coven, Norfolk County District Court (Dedham), and Hannah Saturley ’24 on co-op with Judge Peter Krupp, Massachusetts Superior Court (Boston).

Jul 02, 2023

The Supreme Court Struck Down Affirmative Action. But Diversity on College Campuses Is Still Possible, Experts Say

Northeastern Global News looks to Dr. Deborah Jackson and Professors Jeremy Paul and Dan Urman for their expert commentary on the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling

Jun 01, 2023

Racial Justice Law Centers Gather to Learn and Strategize at CLEAR Conference

Law center representatives from across the country gathered to learn from each other and strategize at Imperiled Democracy: The Unfinished Promise of Democracy and the Role of Racial Justice Centers, a conference hosted by the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) at Northeastern University School of Law, June 1 and 2, 2023.

May 30, 2023

April English ’00 and Stesha Emmanuel ’11 to be Honored by the MBWA

April English ’00, chief secretary to Governor Maura Healey ’98, and Stesha Emmanuel ’11, a partner at McCarter & English in Boston, will be honored by the Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys (MBWA) at the organization’s  annual awards celebration on June 3.  English has been selected to receive the Justice Geraldine S. Hines Public Service Award, which recognizes a Black woman attorney in the Commonwealth who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service and dedication to advancing civil and human rights. Emmanuel will be presented with the Ida B. Wells Award, in recognition of her contribution to the Massachusetts legal community.

Apr 28, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Wins Nautilus Award

Professor Margaret Burnham has won the 2023 Nautilus Award for Journalism and Investigative Reporting for her book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners. The Nautilus Awards seek to energize the interconnections among books, authors, publishers and readers, and to be responsive to the world through words.

Apr 28, 2023

Professor Deborah Ramirez on Rethinking Public Safety and the Role of Police

Professor Deborah Ramirez, faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law Equity and Race (CLEAR), is featured in the Sidebar podcast with Judge Dan Winslow, talking about rethinking public safety and the role of police.

Apr 25, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Wins Hillman Prize for Book Journalism

Professor Margaret Burnham has won the 2023 Hillman Prize for Book Journalism for By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners. Since 1950, the Sidney Hillman Foundation has honored journalists who pursue investigative reporting and deep storytelling in service of the common good. The Hillman Prizes strive to recognize discernment of a significant news story, resourcefulness and courage in reporting, skill in relating the story and the impact of the coverage.

Apr 24, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Wins Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Dedicates Award to Her Parents

Professor Margaret Burnham has been awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the history category for books published in 2022. Burnham’s By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners was among 12 outstanding books recognized for literary excellence and the highest quality of writing from authors at all stages of their careers.

Apr 20, 2023

Professor Margaret Burnham Receives Northeastern’s Excellence in Research and Creativity Award

Professor Margaret Burnham, founder of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project and faculty co-director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race, was honored for outstanding research and creative activity of national and international significance at the university’s honors convocation. Burnham is the author By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners.

Apr 02, 2023

Lawyers Seek Posthumous Pardon for Man Whose Arrest Partially Prompted the 1908 Race Riots in Illinois.

Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) in Boston have filed a petition for executive clemency on behalf of Joe James, an early 20th-century Black man convicted by a racially charged white jury, according to the Associated Press.

Mar 29, 2023

‘A Sweetheart Deal’: Why Boston’s Mayor Is Fighting Police Firing Arbitration

Professor Deborah Ramirez, chair of Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task force and faculty co-director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), criticizes the arbitration process that undermines police accountability. “Arbitration is controlled by the police,” Ramirez said, “Since arbitrators want to be chosen and paid, they curry favor with the union who then chooses them over and over. It is a rigged game,” in MassLive.com.

Mar 22, 2023

Healey and Ramirez Honored By Mass. Trial Court

Professor Deborah Ramirez and Governor Maura Healey ’98 were honored for their impactful work and dedication to uplifting women by the Massachusetts Trial Court as part of the court’s third annual Women’s History Month celebration. In her remarks at the ceremony, Ramirez recounted her mother’s words to her many years ago, “Do not ever let anyone else define who you are or what you can do. Never give up on your dreams! You want to be a lawyer? Si se puede. Yes you can.”

Mar 17, 2023

Posthumous Pardon Hearing To Be Held in Joe James Case

A legal team from Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Project and Northwestern Law School has filed a petition in a historic Springfield Race Riot case. “Throughout history, we have seen white juries not only convict and execute Black men and women on scant evidence but acquit whites who murder Black people in the face of overwhelming evidence of guilt,” says Professor Margaret Burnham.

Mar 17, 2023

Pulitzer Prize-Winner Eric Foner Offers High Praise for Burnham’s New Book in The New York Review of Books

“By Hands Now Known is one of those rare books that forces us to consider in new ways the nature of our politics and society and the enduring legacy of our troubled past,” writes Pulitzer Prize-winner Eric Foner in his glowing review of Professor Margaret Burnham’s pathbreaking treatise on the Jim Crow South, in The New York Review of Books.

Mar 14, 2023

Criminal Justice Task Force Publishes First Boston Narrative in Series

The Criminal Justice Task Force, part of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), has launched the Historical Narrative Project, which aims to inform community members and stakeholders about the role race has played in the history and economic development of Massachusetts.

Mar 08, 2023

Northeastern Law Students Selected as Hinckley Allen Racial Justice Fellows

The Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) at Northeastern University School of Law is proud to announce its spring 2023 Hinckley Allen Racial Justice Fellows: Jalon Fowler ’25, Claire Bergstresser ’23, Marissa Roaché ’24, Caitlin Rams ’24 and Amanda Brea ’23. Hinckley Allen established its Social Justice Partnership Program to offer meaningful financial support and resources to nonprofit organizations in our communities.

Feb 28, 2023

‘US History of Enslavement’ Part of Litmus Test for Black Reparations, Experts at Northeastern Conference in Oakland Say

Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project’s Racial Redress and Reparations Lab participated in a recent conference hosted by the Black Reparations Project, an initiative of Mills College at Northeastern. “Truth-seeking eventually does lead to material reparation,” said Katie Sandson, program director of the Racial Redress and Reparations Lab. “There might need to be more creative strategies in different places.”

Feb 22, 2023

CRRJ Director Margaret Burnham’s Book Nominated for LA Times Book Prize

Congratulations to CRRJ Director Margaret Burnham, whose book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, has been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Professor Burnham’s book is a paradigm-shifting investigation of Jim Crow-era violence, the legal apparatus that sustained it, and its enduring legacy.

Feb 22, 2023

CLEAR Announces Amanda Brea ’23 to Receive Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce that Amanda Brea ’23 is the latest recipient of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship, which honors the legacy of the late Massachusetts chief justice by continuing his commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the judiciary and court systems.

Feb 08, 2023

Robbins: Grace and Disgrace: Black America Suffers Another Outrage

“The heroine in this tragedy is RowVaughn Wells, Tyre Nichols’ mom. Surely her trauma is the worst trauma I can imagine suffering. And yet, she is praying for the officers who killed her son,” said Professor Deborah Ramirez, co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) in the Daily Herald.

Feb 02, 2023

‘I’m Tired of the Cycle of Outrage.’ Northeastern Community Reflects on the Deadly Beating of Tyre Nichols

“Once again we find ourselves coming together to say the name of another victim of police violence,” said Deborah Jackson, managing director of the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) at Northeastern Law. “Another man, 29 years old, just trying to make his way home when he was stopped and brutally beaten by officers who took an oath to serve and protect.”

Jan 31, 2023

How To Prevent What Happened to Tyre Nichols From Happening in the Future

“We have to create a system that allows us to weed out the bad cops so the good ones can thrive,” Professor Deborah Ramirez, chair of the Criminal Justice Task Force, says about rethinking policing. “It means only sending armed police in situations when there is serious crime, felony crime or ongoing crime,” Ramirez tells Northeastern Global News.

Jan 15, 2023

Black WWII Soldiers Asked a White Woman for Doughnuts. They Were Shot.

Rose Zoltek-Jick, the associate director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ), worked on a 1941 case–a white military police officer shot a Black soldier after he talked loudly on a bus– that was mentioned in this Washington Post article about a similar case on two black soldiers: Allen Leftridge and Frank Glenn.

Jan 09, 2023

Lost, but Not Forgotten: The Story of Denna and Estella Strickland

This story was investigated by Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ). CRRJ partnered with members of the Strickland family to plan a commemorative event that brought together more than 40 members of the Strickland family, along with CRRJ Program Director Katie Sandson, CRRJ Elizabeth Zitrin fellow Malcolm Clarke, CRRJ student investigator Dakotah Kennedy and members of the community.

2022 Dec 12, 2022

Army Corrects the Record About a Black Soldier Killed by a White Sergeant in 1941

An investigation by Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) has led to an official status change in the death record of Private Albert King, one of dozens of Black service members believed to have been killed on or near US bases because of their race. “Removing the taint is an important dynamic for the whole country, not just for the families, but for the understanding of this particular history,” Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of CRRJ, tells The New York Times.

Nov 17, 2022

Northeastern Professor’s New Novel Explores Civil Rights-Era Cold Case

“Many of the characters in this book emerged from what I know of a decades-long work in the Civil Rights Movement,” says Professor Michael Meltsner, author of Mosaic: Who Paid for the Bullet?, who will be in conversation with fellow-author Professor Daniel Medwed at the Cambridge Public Library tonight at 6PM.

Oct 17, 2022

Q&A with Margaret Burnham, “By Hands Now Known”

Watch video: On C-SPAN’s Q&A series, Professor Margaret Burnham, author of By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, talks about the largely unknown Black victims of racial violence in the South between the early to mid-twentieth century.

Oct 12, 2022

‘The Most Consequential Project We Have.’ New Archive Gives Voice to Forgotten Victims of Lynching

On Thursday, October 7, Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project celebrated the launch of the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive, a collection of records of anti-Black killings during the Jim Crow era. “I believe that this is the most consequential project and mission we have in this university,” said Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun. “This project doesn’t belong to the university. It belongs to society as a whole, and, indeed, the world.”

Oct 11, 2022

Professor Margaret Burnham Named to Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Longlist

Professor Margaret Burnham’s new book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, has been selected for the longlist for the 2023 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction! #NUSLPride

Oct 07, 2022

New Art Installation From Frontline and Northeastern Humanizes Those Lost in Racial Violence Cold Cases

An innovative, traveling art installation was unveiled at Northeastern’s Cabot Court on October 6, 2022. The project, a partnership between Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) and PBS Frontline’s Un(re)solved initiative, uses augmented reality, African American quilt traditions and investigative reporting to bridge the gap between the past and present.

Sep 28, 2022

Law Professor Unearths Cases of Racial Violence From the Jim Crow Era

Listen back: On NPR’s Fresh Air, Professor Margaret Burnham talks about the injustice and racism brought to light in her powerful new book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners.

Sep 27, 2022

1,000 Racial Homicides Investigated in Unprecedented Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive

Today, the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) at Northeastern University School of Law released the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive, one of the most comprehensive digital archives of racial homicides collected to date.

Sep 20, 2022

Professor Margaret Burnham’s New Book, By Hands Now Known, Challenges Our Understanding of the Jim Crow Era

In her new book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, Professor Margaret Burnham examines the true scope and nature of Jim Crow-era violence, the laws that condoned it, and their legacy today.

Sep 09, 2022

Professor Margaret Burnham Named Finalist for Prestigious Kirkus Prize

Professor Margaret Burnham’s new book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, has been named a finalist in the nonfiction category for the 2022 Kirkus Prize, one of the world’s richest literary awards!

Sep 01, 2022

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) and Criminal Justice Task Force Announce Victories in the Fight for Justice

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race and Criminal Justice Task Force are pleased to announce three major victories in their fight for systemic changes to make our criminal and civil justice systems fairer and more just.

Aug 03, 2022

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2022 Issue

“Shooting Pains,” “Rethinking Business As Usual,” “Active Duty” and many more stories await readers in the summer 2022 issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Read it online now!

Aug 01, 2022

Massachusetts Should Require Gun Liability Insurance

In a co-authored op-ed for The Boston Globe, Professor Deborah Ramirez, Jacqueline Bohatch ’24 and Anna Olsson ’24 makes the case for mandatory gun liability insurance and explains how it would help keep firearms out of the wrong hands.

Jul 24, 2022

After 51 Years in Prison, Ramadan Shabazz Deserves his Freedom

“I really believe that clemency is so important and plays such an important role in our system,” says Mia Teitelbaum ’15, a partner at Shapiro and Teitelbaum and attorney for Ramadan Shabaz, who is petitioning the Parole Board to reduce his charge from first-degree murder to second-degree murder.

Jun 27, 2022

How to Prevent Cops from Killing: Weaken Unions and Make Police Pay for Misconduct

“Even if chiefs see an officer using excessive force or know that an officer has repeated complaints filed against them, it’s difficult for the chief to discipline them because the union-controlled arbitration process overturns the verdict,” Professor Deborah Ramirez, an advocate for a professional liability insurance system for police offers, tells USA TODAY.

Jun 14, 2022

CLEAR Announces Summer Cohort of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellows

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce the second set of recipients of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship: Ari Appel ’24; Maya Leggat ’23; Valerie Orellana ’24; and Owen Woo ’24.

Jun 13, 2022

Baker Confirmed to Head Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at DOE

Professor Shalanda Baker ’05 has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

Jun 09, 2022

The Long Shadow of Eugenics in America

“There’s a huge movement all across the country to look at historical wrongs, including forced sterilization, and to consider what needs to be done now in order to redress them,” Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, tells The New York Times Magazine. “I think this is really the question of the 21st century.”

Jun 03, 2022

Laws Removing Officers’ Immunity Remain Limited to a Few States

“I think people are looking to Colorado to see how it plays out and whether it should be part of the criminal justice reform agenda,” Professor Deborah Ramirez, faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) tells Business Insurance.

May 25, 2022

Two Years After George Floyd’s Murder, Has Anything Changed in Policing?

Katie Sandson, an attorney at Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project, tells News@Northeastern that there has been some progress toward reparations in the last two years, but it is not enough.

May 25, 2022

Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins Tells LAW Grads, This Is “the Fight of Our Lives”

Rachael Rollins ’97, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, was the convocation speaker at Boston University School of Law’s graduation ceremony last weekend. “Don’t be afraid to fail,” she told the class of 2022. “Get in the game—even when people say you can’t and shouldn’t.”

May 03, 2022

Professor Williams Conferred with Honorary Degree by University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp’s faculty of law has awarded Professor Patricia Williams with an honorary degree in recognition of her expertise in the field of race, gender, literature and law and her outstanding contribution to legal and ethical debates on society, science and technology in the light of individual autonomy and identity.​

May 02, 2022

Quisquella Addison Joins Northeastern Law’s LSSC Program as Assistant Teaching Professor

Northeastern Law is pleased to announce that Quisquella Addison will join the university on July 1, 2022, as an assistant teaching professor in the Legal Skills in Social Context program.

Apr 26, 2022

The Rise and Rise of Anti-Asian American Discrimination

“Every single Asian-American I have talked to has had some experience with discrimination — every single one,” says Professor Margaret Woo, who will moderate the first in a two-part series of programs on discrimination against Asian-Americans this Thursday at 6:00PM. The free series developed by Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force is hosted by the Massachusetts Historical Society and sponsored by a number of Boston-area organizations.

Apr 21, 2022

Dr. Deborah A. Jackson Joins CLEAR as Managing Director

Dr. Deborah A. Jackson has joined Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) as managing director.

Apr 01, 2022

Yhap Leads National Black Law Students Association

Simone Yhap ’22 has been elected the 55th national chair and chief executive officer of the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA).

Mar 24, 2022

Black Women are Leaning into Joy Throughout Jackson’s Hearings: ‘We Need to Celebrate This’

“Jackson’s career models all that can be possible for young Black women,” Simone Yhap ’22, national chair of the National Black Law Students Association, tells The Washington Post. “She has broken the glass ceiling that others have imposed upon us, and we’re stepping all over these shards.”

Mar 11, 2022

Dean Hackney Signs Letter of Support for Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brown Jackson

Dean James Hackney is among 38 Black law school deans who have sent a letter of support too the U.S. Senate Leadership and the Committee on the Judiciary for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic nomination to the United States Supreme Court.

Mar 09, 2022

Northeastern Law Team Awarded Best Petitioner Brief at NEBLSA Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition

Gizela Zaqueu ’23 and Genevievre Miller ’23 were awarded Best Petitioner Brief at the regional Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition held during the 54th Northeast Black Law Students Association’s (NEBLSA) regional convention in February.

Feb 23, 2022

Does a Fair Way to Decide Who Gets The Death Penalty Actually Exist?

“It is far beyond time to turn the page—to move on from a punishment that, while deeply rooted in our history, has never proven worthy of retention,” write Professors Michael Meltsner and Daniel Medwed in a co-authored piece for Slate.

Feb 14, 2022

SJC Takes Big Step Backward on Racial Justice

”By expanding police discretion with Sweeting-Bailey, the current SJC is effectively contributing to the very racial disparities that the court had only recently fought hard to eliminate and is undermining its once-visionary commitment to end racial inequities,” writes Professor Deborah Ramirez in a co-authored op-ed for CommonWealth.

Feb 04, 2022

Change is Underway in Communities of Color as Leadership Grows more Diverse

“Representation at the top is vital to opening doors to more diverse talent and advancing policy and programs that create more equitable outcomes for all Massachusetts residents,” Betty Francisco ’98, CEO of Boston Impact Initiative Fund and co-founder of Amplify Latinx, in a co-authored piece for the Boston Business Journal.

Feb 01, 2022

Black History Month Quotes to Inspire

The Northeastern Law community celebrates the history, contributions and global impact of people of the African diaspora throughout the year in our classrooms, publications and through special lectures and events. In honor of Black History Month, Northeastern Law graduates are invited to share an inspiring quote or some sentiments of your own.

Jan 27, 2022

3 Changes That Mayor Wu and Boston’s Next Police Commissioner Must Make

The choosing of Boston’s next police commissioner is an opportunity to reexamine the role of police in Boston, write Professor Deborah Ramirez and Claire Bergstresser in a co-authored piece for WBUR’s Cognoscenti.

Jan 14, 2022

Professor Burnham Provides Testimony to Senate Committee on Her Nomination to Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board

On January 14, 2022, Professor Margaret Burnham, founder and director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project and the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), appeared before the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to provide testimony in support of her nomination to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board.

Jan 10, 2022

Boston’s Top Prosecutor to be Sworn in as U.S. Attorney Monday

Congratulations to Rachael Rollins ’97, who will be sworn in today as the first Black woman US Attorney for Massachusetts!

Jan 05, 2022

Quaime Lee ’02 Takes the Helm of Northeastern Law’s Center for Co-op and Career Development

Northeastern Law is thrilled to announce the appointment of Quaime Lee ’02 as assistant dean for co-op and career development. In this role, Lee is heading the Center for Co-op and Career Development — Lee and his team provide counseling and strategic advice to students undertaking full-time co-op work experiences across the globe and also offer critical assistance to students in the post-graduate job acquisition process.

Jan 05, 2022

CLEAR Announces Spring Cohort of Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellows

Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) is pleased to announce the second set of recipients of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship: Azra Carrington ’23; Claire Bergstresser ’23; Taylor Kim ’23; Robin MacFadden ’22; and Allison Wise ’23.

2021 Dec 09, 2021

What Does Justice Look Like for Those Exonerated After Decades? A Case for Black Reparations

“What happened in all three cases—in Aziz and Islam’s, Broadwater’s, and Strickland’s—amount to travesties of justice,” Professor Rose Zoltek-Jick tells news@Northeastern. But she adds: “It’s never too late to tell the truth.”

Dec 09, 2021

Why Rachael Rollins’ Confirmation Was So Divisive

“We have here the beginning of a renaissance,” Professor Deborah Ramirez, faculty co-director of Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race, tells CBC Boston. “[ Rachael Rollins ’97] has already proven that her method and her version are effective and make us stronger and safer, and I think that she will do that again.”

Nov 24, 2021

Civil Rights Attorney Frederick Brewington ’82 Hails Arbery Guilty Verdicts

“While justice has been served today because of this verdict, we still have a long way to go in making our justice system more equitable,” Frederick Brewington ’82 , a civil rights attorney and principal of The Law Offices of Frederick K. Brewington, tells Black Star News. “It is every person’s duty to not run from the historical realities of racism that continue to divide us, but to address them and engage with each other to solve these deep-rooted concerns.”

Nov 12, 2021

Northeastern Law Announces Inaugural Racial Justice Faculty Fellowships

In support of its public interest mission and commitment to eliminating racism, Northeastern University School of Law is pleased to announce that four faculty members have been awarded inaugural Racial Justice Faculty Fellowships.

Oct 19, 2021

A Jim Crow–Era Murder. A Family Secret. Decades Later, What Does Justice Look Like?

Mother Jones digs deep into the law school’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project and the efforts of Professor Margaret Burnham, Kaylie Simon ’11, Janeen Blake ’09 and other partners to uncover “new information about unsolved murders, push officials to set the record straight, and ask surviving family members what they need to heal.”

Sep 22, 2021

With CLEAR Objectives, Northeastern Law Announces New Center for Law, Equity and Race

Today, Northeastern University School of Law launches a new Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR), which will bring together the school’s pioneering programs and faculty— long engaged in theoretical and translational research, innovative pedagogy and collaborations with external communities — to address today’s challenges and provide tomorrow’s solutions for the nation’s most complex social challenges.

Sep 20, 2021

Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowships Awarded to Northeastern Law Students

Northeastern Law is pleased to announce the first recipients of the Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Fellowship, which honors the legacy of the late Massachusetts chief justice by continuing his commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the judiciary and court systems.

Aug 06, 2021

NH Police Department Under Fire for Listing ‘Qualified Immunity’ as Job Perk in Recruitment Post

“The ad is correct,” Professor Deborah Ramirez, founder of Northeastern Law’s Criminal Justice Task Force, tells 7News Boston. “It is a good recruiting tool to say to anyone in that job, ‘No matter what you do, whether you commit a crime, put your knee on someone’s neck for nine minutes, you will not be held financially liable.”

Aug 05, 2021

Army Unveils Memorial to a Black Soldier Lynched on Military Base 80 Years Ago

On August 4, the army unveiled a historic marker honoring the life of Private Felix Hall, who was found hanging from a tree on a segregated Army base in Georgia in 1941. Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) was first to unearth the FBI file on Hall, the only known victim of a lynching on a US military installation.

Jul 29, 2021

Remembering Bob Moses, 1935–2021

In a piece for the The Nation, Professor Margaret Burnham, director of Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ), pays tribute to American civil rights activist Bob Moses: “By leading from a place of quiet, Bob paved the way for hundreds to find the leader within themselves – especially women.”

Jul 21, 2021

Northeastern Law Magazine: Summer 2021 Issue

Check out the latest issue of Northeastern Law magazine. Features stories include: ‘Fertile Ground,’ ‘Inching Toward Immunity’ and ‘Talking ‘Bout Evolution.’ Read it online today!

Jul 20, 2021

Un(re)solved Episode 5: The Future

Listen to the final episode of the #Un(re)solved podcast, a five-part investigation of civil rights era cold case murders, produced by Frontline PBS in collaboration with Northeastern Law’s Civil Rights & Restorative Justice Project.