Dear Fordham Law Community, 

I hope you are having a great start to the new school year! For those of you who are new to Fordham Law, welcome; for those who have returned, welcome back! I’m Kamille Dean, senior director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Fordham Law. I look forward to meeting or reconnecting with all of you during this school year.

With our monthly newsletter, we share the latest DEI initiatives, programs, and events that are happening at both the Law School and the University. Below you will find a selection of stories from late summer and the beginning of the semester that are of interest.

Be well,

Kamille Dean
Senior Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Office of Student Affairs

On Sept, 19, the Fordham Law School chapter of the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) showcased the rich and varied cuisine of Latin America at its annual Passport to Latin America event held in celebration of Latine Heritage Month.

Pictured left: LALSA Co-Vice President Tammy Zapata ’24

Upcoming Events:

Born and raised in the South Bronx, Grissel is a founding board member of the Líderes Board of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, one of the oldest non-profit civil rights organizations focusing on education, voting rights and immigration issues for Latinos. She is a strong supporter of peer networking and education as a pathway to success and an active mentor helping to prepare law students for the Florida and New York bar exams. Grissel is the former HNBA Chair of the Latina Commission, but currently serves as the Vice President for Programs, Su Futuro, which focuses exclusively on pipeline work for high school through law school.

Save the date for Fordham Law’s Alumni of Distinction event on Nov. 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m., honoring the late Judge Felipe N. Torres ’26. Judge Torres, who arrived in New York City from Puerto Rico in 1919, was elected the first Puerto Rican New York State Assemblyman from the Bronx in 1953 and was appointed the first Puerto Rican Judge of the Family Court, State of New York in 1963. More information will be shared in the coming weeks.

The Alumni of Distinction event celebrates graduates of the Law School who have broken barriers in the legal profession, opened doors for underrepresented groups, blazed trails for future generations, and made an indelible mark on our country and around the world.

Welcome to our newest faculty members, Harlan Grant Cohen, Chinmayi Sharma, and Aniket Kesari. Professors Sharma and Kesari are two emerging thought leaders focused on the intersection of law and technology. Professor Cohen is an expert on international law. Read more.

At the Center on Asian Americans and the Law’s Second Annual Summer Scholarship Conference, the Center’s co-directors—U.S. Circuit Court Judge Denny Chin ’78 and Leitner Family Professor of International Law Thomas Lee—presented a “master class” on Asian Americans and the Law, surveying the topics covered in their co-compiled course materials and covering three specific case studies. Attendees also participated in an off-the-record discussion of the Supreme Court affirmative action cases and their impact on the Asian American community, led by Professor Lee. Read more.

To kick off the fall 2023 semester, the Center held a screening of All We Could Carry and Days of Waiting with documentary film director Steven Okazaki. Okazaki and Jina Miharu Accardo, a daughter and a niece of former incarcerees at Heart Mountain, joined Judge Chin and Professor Lee for a conversation after the showing on Sept. 19.

Women’s Equality Day (Aug. 26)

The first woman nominated by a national party for vice president of the United States, Geraldine Ferraro ’60 helped place a new generation of women on equal—and more secure—footing with their political counterparts, not only in politics but in every arena of American life. Read more.

Fordham Law’s Black Law Students Association, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Latin American Law Students Association, and South Asian Law Students Association co-organized a virtual town hall for the Law School community to discuss the impact of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling made in late June.

As Dean Matthew Diller shared over the summer, Fordham Law remains committed to creating a learning environment in which all students can thrive and have their experiences honored and respected. The Law School continues to grow the Increasing Diversity in Education and the Law (IDEAL) program and Realizing Excellence and Access in the Law (REAL) Scholars program as well as engage with a number of community partners and their pipeline programs.

On Sept. 5, first-generation 1L students met with the Honorable Denny Chin ’78 for a reception at the Law School. Judge Chin, who was a first-generation law student, discussed how to navigate law school and thrive in a legal career as someone who identifies as first in the family to graduate from college. The event was co-hosted by Fordham First Generation Students (F1GS).

Students embraced unity through an exploration of the cultures and cuisines of the Black Diaspora at Fordham Law’s Black Law Students Association Diaspora Celebration on Sept. 11.

Fordham Law’s South Asian Law Students Association welcomed new 1Ls at a picnic held at Sheeps Meadow Park on Sept. 15.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Training Sessions for the 2023-24 Academic Year

Fordham Law has held four sessions and all adjuncts were required to attend one of the sessions.

As part of our commitment to ensuring all of our students, especially those from underrepresented communities, experience a learning environment that is supportive and free from bias, we provided a comprehensive workshop tailored to the needs of our adjunct faculty members to promote positive student engagement. This session outlined recommended best practices for creating an inclusive learning environment, particularly for transgender and nonbinary students in areas such as developing LGBTQ+-inclusive curricula, strategies for teaching case law that uses outdated language or framing about marginalized communities, and correctly using names, pronouns, and honorifics for trans and nonbinary students.

In partnership with the LGBTQ+ Bar, the LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Legal Education Workshop is designed to meet the unique needs of our law school. Presented by an openly transgender attorney with a background in transgender rights litigation, the program provided an intersectional approach to increasing fluency in matters related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, and inspire allies into practical action.

This training was led by Dru Levassaur, the director of diversity, equity, and inclusion for the National LGBTQ Bar. As a leading figure in the LGBTQ+ equality movement for 25 years, Dru has extensive experience in law, advocacy, philanthropy, and community organizing. He leads the LGBTQ+ Bar’s DEI Consulting Practice, the only LGBTQ+ inclusion coaching and consulting program designed specifically to enable the implementation of best practice standards for LGBTQ+ equity across law firms, law schools, and companies. 

Fordham University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs also hosts a number of programs and initiatives—including training opportunities in the fall and spring semesters—to provide LGBTQ+ resources and support at our Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses.

There are always additional events happening at Fordham University through the Office of Multicultural Affairs. Take a look at their offerings to find an upcoming program. 

Have a news story or photos you’d like to submit for consideration? Connect with us!

Email Erin DeGregorio