Center for Race and Law
What We Do
Understanding American law requires an understanding of the impact of race. Established in 2022 under the leadership of St. John's Law Professor Renee Nicole Allen, the Center for Race and Law provides opportunities for students, academics, practitioners, and community members to examine race and engage in idea exchange about its intersection with the law through lectures, symposia, dialogue, and scholarship. It also promotes learning and broad engagement through social media and coordinates the Law School’s race and law resources and curriculum.
About the Center
Understanding American law requires an understanding of the impact of race. Established in 2022 under the leadership of St. John's Law Professor Renee Nicole Allen, the Center for Race and Law provides opportunities for students, academics, practitioners, and community members to examine race and engage in idea exchange about its intersection with the law through lectures, symposia, dialogue, and scholarship. It also promotes learning and broad engagement through social media and coordinates the Law School’s race and law resources and curriculum.
2025 Symposium: Race, Law, and Artificial Intelligence
About the Symposium
For this virtual Symposium, which will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 12 to 4 p.m. (EST), we’ll bring together a diverse group of legal scholars, practitioners, and thought leaders to engage in discussions about the intersection of race, law, and artificial intelligence.
Call for Presentation Proposals
You’re invited to submit a proposal for a presentation that aligns with the Symposium’s theme. Presentation topics might include, but are not limited to:
AI’s potential to cause or exacerbate racial discrimination
Legal protection for systemic racial harms caused by AI
AI’s potential to remedy racial discrimination or racial harm
Submission Guidelines
Please email your 500- to 750-word presentation proposal as MS Word attachment to Professor Renee Nicole Allen at [email protected] by January 31, 2025. The proposal should include your contact information and a brief bio.
Thank you for your submission!
Past Events
In October 2024, the Center presented Race, Law, & Popular Culture. For this informative event, Center Director Renee Nicole Allen moderated a panel of experts in the field as they engaged in conversation about the intersections of race, law, and popular culture. The panelists were Alisa Payne, Producer, Stamped from the Beginning (Netflix), and St. John's Law Professors Philip Lee and Cheryl Wade.
In November 2023, the Center hosted Rest as Resistance: A Two-Day Retreat. On the first day, participants came together for a virtual book club exploring and actualizing Tricia Hersey's New York Times best-selling book, Rest is Resistance, A Manifesto. Day two was an in-person retreat offering an interactive workshop on Rest, Wellness, and Racial Justice. Then, St. John’s Law alumni shared insights on Rest in Practice before the group spent the rest of afternoon enjoying yoga and rest together.
In March 2023, the Center held its first symposium on Racialized Notions of Professionalism. You can view the symposium online at the St. John's Law Scholarship Repository.
For its first-ever event, in September 2022 the Center presented a screening of the feature-length documentary film Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. In the film, criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson chronicles anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America. After the screening, members of the Law School community engaged in a virtual conversation with Jefferey Robinson.
Learn More
To learn more about the Center for Race and Law and opportunities to support its mission, please contact Professor Renee Nicole Allen at [email protected]