The Center for Diversity & Inclusion and DREAM Resource Center hosted an online conference to give insight into the legacy and work of Derrick Bell.
Derrick Bell is one of the founders of Critical Race Theory. He was selected in honor of Black History Month because many people don’t know about his work.
Bell was a legal scholar, professor, teacher, lawyer, and civil rights activist. He was the first black tenured professor at Harvard and was also a part of the NAACP.
He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1930 and Graduated from highschool in 1948, where he was elected Vice President.
At Duquesne University, he became the school photographer. After college, he was in the RNPC but had to go service in Korea, where he applied to Law school.
According to the New York Times, he was better known for resigning from prestigious jobs. He quit the civil rights division of the justice dept rather than resign from the NAACP; in 1998, at Harvard, he took an unpaid leave of absence and vowed not to return until the school added a black female to its tenured faculty.
Bell was a pioneer in his profession as a black man, and he was the first but said he wouldn’t be the last. Bell was described as a maverick, a person who is fearless in challenging authority.
The conference attendees discussed the importance of Derrick Bell’s activism, legacy, and work.
Derrick Bell’s legacy lives on in many ways, including in his book ‘Race, Racism and American Law, which today I regarded as a standard textbook in law schools around the country.
The People Series will discuss Bell Hooks on March 3rd from 2 pm – 3:30pm.
This is Felix Balderas with Vaquero Radio.
