Zoë Jackson *

* Symposium Editor, University of Richmond Law Review Vol. 58. J.D., 2024, University of Richmond School of Law.

In the weeks leading up to this year’s Symposium, entitled “Vestiges of the Confederacy: Reckoning with the Legacy of the South,” I have spent some time reflecting upon the title of the Symposium and what the Symposium hopes to accomplish. The mandate is clear: we are meant to be gathering so that we can reckon with the legacy of the American South. But there is not just one legacy to consider, and in any case, reckoning with the Confederacy requires more than a day’s work.

Marissa Jackson Sow *

* Associate Professor of Law, University of Richmond School of Law. LL.M., The London School of Economics and Political Science; J.D., Columbia Law School; B.A., Northwestern University.

According to the Supreme Court of the United States’ rulings in Pleasant Grove City v. Summum and Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc., there is a fundamental difference between government speech, where a governmental entity expresses its own political views on its property, and private speech on government property wherein the government only facilitates a place for private actors to speak. One key difference is the anticipated duration of the “speech.” No matter how long-winded an individual orator might be, at some point, the orator will become fatigued and stop. Thus, even when speaking on government property, such speech is temporary and, by definition, a classic example of the government facilitating private speech. Conversely, however, if the government decides to erect a monument, because the statue’s duration is presumably infinite, it becomes government speech with the obvious check of the voting public.

Jonathan C. Augustine *

* Senior Pastor, St. Joseph AME Church (Durham, NC); General Chaplain, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Consulting Faculty, Duke University Divinity School; Missional Strategist, Duke Center for Reconciliation.

We are living in momentous times. Social justice and the legitimacy of our political systems are at the forefront of many people’s minds. Demands for change—sometimes revolutionary change— abound in response to myriad crises: the murders of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor; mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty; the bungled response to COVID-19 and resulting economic precarity of many across the globe; threats to our democratic institutions and educational institutions at home and abroad; the erosion of reproductive rights, the environment, and tribal sovereignty; attacks on LGBTQIA+ people and their rights; and persistent and devastating levels of gun violence, to name a few. During momentous times like these, law schools can and should make a difference. How we do that, however, is a more complex question. Is it only through career services offices that encourage students to pursue careers fighting for social justice? Or do professors, even ones in required doctrinal courses, have a role to play in transforming our society? In this Article, I argue the latter. I argue that one way law schools can ensure that their professors are equal partners in this fight for social justice is by hiring law professors with experience in public service (more than just a year or two clerking). Hiring professors with public service experience requires evaluating the law professor hiring process, both in fact as well as our perception of it. If my suggested interventions are adopted, law schools can ensure that the legal community contributes to the revolutions and reforms necessary to meet the demands of these momentous times.

Rachel Kincaid *

* Assistant Professor of Law, Baylor Law.

On March 1, 2024, the University of Richmond Law Review hosted a symposium entitled Vestiges of the Confederacy: Reckoning with the Legacy of the South. Professor Carla Laroche delivered the presentation transcribed below, which has been edited for clarity and cohesion. The University of Richmond Law Review was honored to host her and is thrilled to publish her engaging discussion on Black women’s voter emancipation.

Carla Laroche *

* Felder-Fayard Associate Professor of Law, Tulane University School of Law and The Murphy Institute, Tulane University; J.D., Columbia Law School; M.P.P., Harvard Kennedy School; B.A., Princeton University.

On March 1, 2024, the University of Richmond Law Review hosted a symposium entitled Vestiges of the Confederacy: Reckoning with the Legacy of the South. Professor Bertrall L. Ross II delivered the presentation transcribed below, which has been edited for clarity and cohesion. The University of Richmond Law Review was honored to host him and is thrilled to publish this transcript of his thoughtful discussion.

Bertrall L. Ross II *

* Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law.