Social Movements & the Law

Helps document the federal government’s response to racial justice protests following the police murder of George Floyd

In agro-industrial Watsonville, CA, English-language learners struggle with remote learning. It’s much easier for students in a nearby Bay Area suburb.

There has been a marked rise in anti-Asian violence across the United States, an issue that once again rattled a community on edge after the Tuesday mass shooting deaths of eight people at spas in the Atlanta area, six of whom were Asian.

"In the midst of loss, death, and suffering, our charge is to figure out what freedom really means--and how we take steps to get there. The uprising of 2020 marks a new phase in the unfolding Movement for Black Lives. The brutal killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor, and countless other injustices large and small, lit the spark of the largest protest movement in US history against racism and the politics of disposability that the Covid-19 pandemic lays bare. In this urgent and incisive collection of new interviews bookended by two new essays, Marc Lamont Hill critically examines the "pre-existing conditions" that led us to this moment of upheaval, guiding us through both the perils and possibilities, and helping us imagine an abolitionist future."

This guide is an ongoing project designed to highlight and increase access to resources surrounding police-involved violence. New links and documents will be added as they become available.

As mass protests against racism and police brutality continue, at least five men — four Black and one Latinx — have been found hanging in public across the U.S. in recent weeks. We speak with Jacqueline Olive, director of “Always in Season,” a documentary that examines the history of lynchings through the story of Lennon Lacy, an African American teenager who was found hanged from a swingset in 2014. “They deserve a full investigation,” Olive says of the recent hangings, “and given the context of this history … that we look at them more than three days, and then that they are looked at as a whole.”

Some Black students are being told they stink while others are being called monkeys by their White peers. The n-word has been written on the walls of school restrooms as other students are the targets of racist rants on social media.

If you have any additional resources that you would like to recommend, please send an email to aasp@cornell.edu.

The killing of George Floyd by four police officers on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis ignited protests against police violence and calls for police reform throughout the United States. Many ideas are being advanced to improve public safety and to alter the nature of policing. This guide will try to highlight these ideas and provide examples of local, state, and federal governments actually implementing changes. This guide is not intended to advocate for any particular change or to address broader issues of reforming society. Hopefully it will serve as a clearinghouse for ideas. A variety of sources address needed changes in a more comprehensive or in-depth fashion.

In our extended interview with Stanford Psychology Professor Jennifer Eberhardt, she goes into detail about her investigation into how implicit bias impacts everything from hate crimes to microaggressions in the workplace, school and community, and what we can do about it. This is the topic of her new book, Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do. Eberhardt is a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “genius” grant. Watch Part 1: https://youtu.be/-SLZwHhN9Z8

Sesame Workshop will air half-hour special later this month to define racism for younger viewers and show how it’s hurtful

Police brutality is the use of unnecessary, excessive force by police in their encounters with civilians. The force used is beyond what would be considered necessary in the situation at hand. This may involve the use of a weapon—a baton, Taser, or gun—when such force is not warranted by the situation. In some cases, the use of tear gas, nerve gas, or pepper spray may be considered police brutality if the people targeted are gathered in a peaceful assembly. Police brutality can also involve psychological intimidation, verbal abuse, false arrests, and sexual abuse.

As avowed neo-Nazi James Alex Fields pleaded guilty Wednesday to 29 counts of hate crimes in a federal court for plowing his car into a crowd of anti-racist protesters in Charlottesville in August of 2017, we look at a new book that addresses the tragic event, as well as the rising number of race-based mass shootings, hate crimes and police shootings of unarmed men in the past several years. It also examines cases of discrimination against African Americans for simply sitting in coffee shops or trying to vacation in Airbnb-hosted homes. Professor Jennifer Eberhardt is the author of “Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do,” about how implicit bias impacts everything from hate crimes to microaggressions in the workplace, school and community, and what we can do about it. Eberhardt is a professor of psychology at Stanford and a recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “genius” grant.

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On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, died while being arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd's death inspired months of protest against police brutality and racism and motivated ongoing discussions about racial justice and the role of race in American society. Derek Chauvin, one of the officers who participated in the arrest, has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd's death. His trial began on March 8, 2021. On April 20, 2021, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on all counts. On June 25, 2021, Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison. This guide is intended to serve as a collection of resources about the trial of Chauvin and its context, including the public response to Floyd's death.

This map shows the racial and ethnic makeup of the entire United States, according to the 2020 census.

As we strive for a more equitable and inclusive future, how can we foster the well-being and potential of every individual, regardless of their ethnic or racial background?

This guide provides an overview of research strategies and resources on the topic of Critical Race Theory at the UNC School of Law.

University of Washington professor Dr. Robin DiAngelo reads from her book "White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism," explains the phenomenon, and discusses how white people can develop their capacity to engage more constructively across race. Speakers include: Misha Stone, Seattle Public Library Robin DiAngelo, PhD, Critical Racial & Social Justice Education

During the pandemic, anti-Asian violence is on the rise around the world. The Pulitzer-winning author reflects on his own experiences as a Vietnamese American – and the dark history that continues to fuel the current hate

The intentions of this guide are to provide the researcher with helpful tips, and suggested print and electronic resources about women involved in the Civil Rights movement in the United States.

In this edition of Behind the Bindings, discover tools that you can use for researching Black history in the Law Journal Library!

Featuring Hector Amaya, Ginna Green and Shannon Speed, this virtual roundtable was moderated by Repair director Beth Ribet, on 5-20-21. Co-sponsored by the UCLA American Indian Studies Center, the UCLA Native Nations Law & Policy Center, the Critical Race Studies Program at the UCLA School of Law, Ikar, Temple Beth Am, and Bend the Arc Jewish Action.

State and local policing budgets have kept a consistent share of public budgets by percentage, but the dollar amounts have grown since 1977.

This guide will assist you in finding online and print resources on civil rights.

In a time of mourning and anger over the ongoing violence inflicted on Black communities by police in the US and the lack of accountability from national leadership, what is the path forward? Sharing urgent insights into this historic moment, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Rashad Robinson, Dr. Bernice King and Anthony D. Romero discuss dismantling the systems of oppression and racism responsible for tragedies like the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and far too many others -- and explore how the US can start to live up to its ideals. (This discussion, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was recorded on June 3, 2020.)

"25 years ago in the shadows of Apartheid in South Africa the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed to properly address generations of racial injustice that had been all but ignored. It's time for the United States to do the same. In spite of all of our movements for change the thing we call the justice system in the United States has never been a reliable competent compassionate professional respectful tool for justice for tens of millions of Americans. Instead it has often been a cruel and oppressive force of injustice for African Americans Native Americans Latinos immigrants members of the LGBTQIA community and all marginalized communities. Consequently when marginalized people have needed to finally rely on this system for justice it has routinely failed them in the worst ways imaginable. This isn't a bug in the system but a feature. It's operating exactly the way it was designed and built to function. That's why we're imagining and building something new. Today in partnership with the District Attorneys of San Francisco Philadelphia and Boston we are announcing the formation of the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission to actually process and address the injustices of the past that simply were not given the time attention and dignity that they deserved."

This guide is meant to serve as a jumping-off point for students and faculty to gain a better understanding of the events related to Mike Brown's death and the subsequent protests and unrest in Ferguson. It also collects resources that may be used by UA instructors to teach Ferguson and related topics in their courses. We will try to keep this guide as up-to-date as we can.

"The president's power to pardon federal crimes is immense, with roots in ancient notions of mercy and amnesty. However, this power, seemingly boundless under the Constitution, lacks clear constraints, inviting concerns about abuse. Recent discussions in the U.S. Supreme Court have raised alarms about the potential for presidential abuse of pardons, highlighting the need for accountability within the pardon system to uphold the foundational premise that no one is above the law."--