Memories of an Affirmative Action Activist

Some twenty-five years ago, the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT) led a march supporting Affirmative Action in legal education to counter the spate of litigation and other legal prohibitions that exploded during the 1990s, seeking to limit or abolish race-based measures. The march began at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel, where the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) was having its annual meeting, and proceeded to Union Square. We, the organizers of the march, did not expect the march to become an iconic event; one that would be remembered as a harbinger of a new era of activism by law professors. If we are to redefine affirmative action as a remedy for slavery and segregation, we need to pay attention to history and recognize that these evils, born of the belief in White Superiority, extend beyond the native-born Black community.

Preserving our democracy depends on working toward racial justice. This Article details my academic and activist work. My work focusing on affirmative action represents my commitment to constructing a society—the U.S specifically—and a world in which the concepts of equality, liberty, and justice meaningfully impact the lives and opportunities of all people, especially those whose race, color, caste, gender, religion, or national origin have subjected them to subordination, often based on the ideology of White Supremacy.