VOL. 23, NO. 21	APRIL 17, 1998

Paul Robeson, center, with the Law School Class of 1923.

he Black Law Students Association at Columbia Law School will sponsor a symposium entitled “Vision and Action in the New Millennium” on Sat., Apr. 18 in Jerome Greene Hall.

  The symposium will honor the spirit and legacy of Paul Robeson.

  This year marks the 75th anniversary of Robeson’s graduation from Columbia Law School and the 100th anniversary of his birth.

  The event is free and open to all.

  The symposium, the first of its kind at Columbia, will honor one of the most distinguished graduates of the Law School.

  Robeson was a man of integrity who achieved excellence in a variety of fields.

  He was an activist, athlete, scholar, public intellectual, critically acclaimed artist and entertainer.

  The day will begin with an opening address by Michael Eric Dyson, visiting professor of African-American Studies, and will be followed by two panel discussions.

  The first panel will discuss the challenge of African-American leadership and responsibility in the new millennium.

  The second will consider the challenges of defining and controlling African-American culture, talent and images in the fields of entertainment and sports.

  Confirmed participants include:

  Rev. Calvin O. Butts III of Abyssinian Baptist Church; Jessie Washington, managing editor of VIBE magazine; Constance Baker Motley, the first African-American woman appointed to the federal judiciary and the first woman to serve as Chief Judge for the Southern District of New York; Theodore Shaw, associate director of counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund; Michele Stephenson; Judithe Brown; Kay Shaw, marketing and distribution consultant; William Allen, Harlem community activist; Quinn Eli, professor of literature and African-American studies at Bryn Mawr; Marcia Sells, vice president of organization and development at the National Basketball Association; Professors Kimberle Crenshaw, Kellis Parker, Kendall Thomas and Patricia Williams of Columbia Law School, and other academics, lawyers and community leaders.