Dear colleagues, students, and members of the UCLA Law community,

At this moment, it is more important than ever to combat the erasure of the history of slavery and racism in our politics and our constitutional law. Six brilliant scholars of constitutional law and history will convene at UCLA Law on Thursday, April 10, 12-1:30 pm to discuss the question:

Can New Histories of Reconstruction Transform the Constitution?

I very much hope you will join me for this important event. You may RSVP here; space is limited.

The panelists:

Khiara M. Bridges is a professor of law and anthropologist at UC Berkeley School of Law, and an expert on race, class, and reproductive rights. She is the author of the 2022 Harvard Law Review Foreword, "Race in the Roberts Court," and many other articles and books.

Aderson François is a professor of law and director of the Institute for Public Representation Civil Rights Law Clinic at Georgetown Law Center. He is the author "Speak to your Dead, Write for your Dead: David Galloway, Malinda Brandon, and a Story of American Reconstruction," and many other articles and briefs.

Olatunde Johnson is a professor of law at Columbia Law School and an expert in constitutional law, fair housing, and employment discrimination law. She is author of "(How) Can Litigation Advance Multiracial Democracy?" and many other law review articles.

Martha S. Jones is a professor of history at Johns Hopkins University and author of many prize-winning books, including Birthright Citizens: A History of Race and Rights in Antebellum America, and Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won The Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All.

Osagie Obasogie is a professor of law and public health, and a sociologist, at UC Berkeley School of Law. He is an expert on constitutional law, policing, bioethics, and race, and author of the prize-winning Blinded by Sight: Seeing Race Through the Eyes of the Blind, as well as many other articles and books.

Farah Peterson is a professor of law at the University of Chicago Law School and a historian of the early American republic. She is an expert on statutory interpretation and constitutional history as well as a cultural commentator in numerous public venues. She is the author of "Our Constitutionalism of Force" and many other articles and essays.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Ariela J. Gross

Distinguished Professor of Law and History

UCLA School of Law