In the latest study to measure the impact of law school faculties based on their research and writing, 14 UCLA School of Law professors have been recognized as leaders of legal scholarship.
UCLA School of Law distinguished professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, one of the nation’s most renowned scholars and thought leaders in civil rights law and policy, has received the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
At the Oct. 1 awards ceremony, Crenshaw recounted her participation in student protests when she attended Harvard Law School. She told the audience of more than 300 academics, alumni and students to stand up against institutional attacks on knowledge and education. “We have to fight against the selective use of ‘comfort’ to suppress uncomfortable conversations,” she said.
Crenshaw holds the Promise Institute Chair in Human Rights at UCLA Law. She is known for coining the term “intersectionality” — the way in which the effects of racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination combine and overlap to create unique experiences. She is also a founder and leader of critical race theory. In 2000, she was one of the faculty members who launched UCLA Law’s trailblazing Critical Race Studies program.
As the co-founder and executive director of the African American Policy Forum think tank, Crenshaw has led grassroots movements and campaigns such as #SayHerName, the Freedom to Learn Network and the Critical Race Theory Summer School.
An earlier version of this story ran in the UCLA Newsroom.
Four UCLA School of Law professors, including leading scholars in election law, critical race studies, Native American law, and U.S.-China relations, have received appointments to endowed faculty chairs.
Faculty chairs acknowledge the distinction of the law school’s outstanding professors and are made possible by the generosity of UCLA Law’s alumni and friends. UCLA Law has 70 full-time faculty members and 39 endowed chairs.