Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) Hosts Inaugural Hope Lewis Distinguished Lecture

03.27.2025 – On March 25 and 26, the Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) held the inaugural Hope Lewis Distinguished Lecture series. The two-day program in honor of the late Professor Hope Lewis, an internationally-recognized scholar in human rights, the rights of non-citizens and persons with disabilities, featured musical tributes and a discussion with Gay McDougall, distinguished scholar in residence at Fordham Law's Leitner Center for International Law and Justice.

The evening of song and musical tribute was held in the Curry Center Ballroom, where guests were treated to moving performances by Northeastern students Ryaken Nakamoto, Joshua Piatok, Vedant Mundhra and Michael Bikker. Damien Lee, a third-year student in Africana studies and political science, sang “Impossible Dream” by Joe Darion, before award-winning R&B singer-songwriter and Northeastern Law alum, Danielle Ponder ’11, took to the stage.

Ponder, without her usual band and assisted only by her guitar, performed the title track from her acclaimed debut album “Some of us are Brave” (2022). She said she took the title from the seminal feminist book All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, But Some of Us Are Brave (1982) given to her by Lewis, her former professor who died in 2016.

Lewis’ influence and legacy was also acknowledged by her colleagues and Northeastern Law faculty, including Deborah Ramirez, CLEAR Faculty Co-Director, Rose Zoltek-Jick, co-founder of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at CLEAR and Sonia Rolland.

“She stands as a role model to all of us on how to face adversity, hard times and uncertainty with grace and unyielding support for marginalized people,” said Ramirez, who called the event an opportunity to “celebrate her spirit, her advocacy and her scholarship.”

Kaleema Al-Nur ’08 also spoke of her time under Lewis’ tutelage and described her as both a “professor and prophetess.” Al-Nur, a former research assistant for Lewis, credits Lewis with her teaching philosophy. She said that when she teaches she strives to bring “practical meaning, urgency and relevant meaning” to the classroom, in the same way Lewis did.

Al-Nur said that Lewis was, as she described herself, “a lion-hearted gal,” a moniker that recalled Lewis’ Caribbean roots.

The following day, attendees gathered in Dockser Hall and via livestream to hear McDougall address current issues pertaining to human rights and the UN System, in honor of Lewis’ scholarship on this issue. Guests were welcomed by James Hackney, Dean of Northeastern Law, and Professor Margaret Burnham, CLEAR Co-Director. They shared their memories of Lewis and discussed the impact of her scholarship.

“What I miss about Hope is her bravery, her humor, her preference for simple and frugal living, but mostly I miss her mind. That loss, even so many years after she’s gone, still makes me weep,” said Burnham. “I thank you for joining us to remember her and her work, to give her work long life, and to commit to its centrality in all that we continue to do here at Northeastern University School of Law.”

McDougall’s discussion was moderated by Professor Zinaida Miller, Professor of Law and Co-Faculty Director for Northeastern’s Center for Global Law and Justice.

“Our next era of world peace cannot be based on [the US’s financial domination of the UN]. We are now in an era where our new leader can make policy, both international and domestic policy, by extortion,” said McDougall, citing the US’s recent treatment of Ukraine.

“Unless we can find a way to break the grip of this hyper-capitalism that rules our globe now, it’s hard to find another basis for human relations, for national policy, and for global relations,” she said.

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About the Program

On an annual basis, a nationally recognized advocate for the rights of persons, who have been impacted by racially discriminatory policies and practices, will come to Northeastern to deliver an address on an issue or issues impacting the fundamental rights of persons from racially marginalized communities, migrant communities, or persons with disabilities who face countless obstacles. In addition to the public address, the Visiting Lecturer, who may be a practitioner or scholar, will have an opportunity to engage with the law school community to share their expertise and encourage students to pursue potential opportunities in their field. This program is made possible by a gift from the estate of Hope Lewis and Blossom Stephenson to the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law. In honor of Professor Lewis and Blossom Stephenson, Northeastern University School of Law has established the Hope Lewis Endowed Lecture Series Fund.

About Hope Lewis

Hope Lewis was a professor at Northeastern University School of Law from 1992 until her untimely death in December 2016. She was a passionate advocate for human rights, particularly for persons of color, persons with disabilities, and immigrant communities. Professor Lewis was also a beloved teacher, an esteemed colleague, and a brilliant thinker. Her work was seminal to the field of global human rights and the global economy, and her writings addressed themes in critical race theory as well as globalization and social development. A founder of the of the law school’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy, she served as faculty director of the Global Legal Studies Program. Her passion and activism were also evident in her teaching. She served tirelessly as a mentor to scores of students and to her colleagues, and established longstanding relationships with students that she nurtured well into their professional careers. Despite her health challenges, over the years she remained a vigilant advocate for the rights of underserved and underrepresented communities.