June 29, 2020 - University of Houston Law Center administrators, faculty, students and staff met via Zoom last week for a discussion addressing recent news events involving race, racial incidents on campus, eradicating racism, and recommitting to diversity and inclusion.
“I am glad that we are able to hold this forum to have tough conversations about race and racism, to condemn the recent racist hate speech, to educate our students about how the First Amendment applies to hate speech at a state institution,” said Dean Leonard M. Baynes. “Many thanks to my faculty colleagues and staff who stepped up to work with me to address these issues.
“Special thanks go to Professor Geoffrey Hoffman and Meredith Duncan who are co-chairs of the diversity and inclusion committee and helped to organize the event.”
The first topic, First Amendment and Hate Speech was a panel that included Associate Professor Emily Berman, and Associate and George A. Butler Research Professors Daniel I. Morales and D. Theodore Rave.
The second speaker was University of Houston Vice President for Legal Affairs General Counsel Dona Cornell who spoke about the First Amendment, hate speech and UH EEO policies.
The event concluded with a brief overview of the Law Center's Diversity & Inclusion Committee, student advisement and pandemic planning. Speakers were:
