Convocation: Derrick Bell

"Martin Luther King, Jr: The Twentieth Century Jesus?" A compelling voice on issues of race and class in this society, Derrick Bell has provoked his critics and challenged his readers with his uncompromising candor and original progressive views throughout his 40-year career as a lawyer, activist, teacher, and writer. Derrick Bell is one of the most highly respected constitutional law professors in America. His civil-rights career began when Thurgood Marshall recruited him fresh out of law school. He was the first African American to be tenured at Harvard Law School, as well as the only academic to relinquish a coveted tenured position to protest Harvard Law School's failure to appoint women of color. He served as the dean of the University of Oregon Law School and again resigned when the faculty refused to hire a qualified Asian-American woman.