Constance Baker Motley Speaker Series on Racial Inequality

Webinar
4:00 PM to 5:15 PM (Eastern Standard Time)

Join us as Professor Trina Jones, the Jerome M. Culp Distinguished Professor of Law at Duke University School of Law, takes us on a journey to understand colorism and its impact on society, and particularly the legal profession. Professor Kathy Taylor will lead us on a moderated discussion of colorism with Professor Jones.

Webinar
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
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In the wake of the George Floyd homicide, a diverse group of attorneys, community members, and law enforcement leaders met on a weekly basis for over a year to discuss, research and make recommendations to the State legislature and other stakeholders regarding policing in Connecticut. It is anticipated their work will culminate in a written report to be publicly released this fall. In this session, leaders and key members of this Task Force will share what they learned and what they recommend we do to address the challenges in policing and to improve relations between police and the communities they serve.

Webinar
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Access Recording

September 14, 2021 marks what would have been the 100th birthday of Judge Constance Baker Motley. In this inaugural series event for the 2021-2022 bar year, we are celebrating the life and legacy of Judge Motley. We will start with a screening of The Trials of Constance Baker Motley, a 2015 documentary produced by her son, Joel Motley. The documentary spans her remarkable legal career, including, but not limited to, her work with Justice Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP and her landmark civil rights cases before the US Supreme Court, as well as her accomplishments as the first African-American woman elected to the New York State Senate, the first woman elected as Manhattan Borough president, and the first African-American woman appointed to the federal bench. The documentary will be followed by a discussion and reflection on Judge Motley moderated by law professor Kate Stith, featuring Judge Motley's son Joel W. Motley, niece Constance L. Royster, former law clerk Daniel J. Steinbock, and law professor Marilyn J. Ford.

Webinar
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)

Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson will facilitate a question and answer segment with Richard Rothstein. A panel discussion will follow to highlight what has been done in the past year and how we will continue to address racial inequality in Connecticut in honor of the legacy of Hon. Constance Baker Motley.

Webinar
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Access Recording

In a tumultuous year that has brought long-avoided issues of racial injustice to the fore, Connecticut is considering certain proactive steps to try to eradicate racial bias in jury selection and deliberation in both civil and criminal cases. Following the release of specific recommendations by the Jury Selection Task Force appointed by Chief Justice Robinson, this event will explore the proposals aimed at identifying and eliminating various forms of conscious and unconscious bias from jury selection and deliberation. Attendees are encouraged to review the Task Force Report and pose questions for the panelists both before and during the event.