Trayvon Martin & Beyond: A Forum on Race, Media, & Criminal Law

The University of Minnesota Law School and the University of Minnesota Criminal Justice League will present a panel discussion on the social and legal issues that influence the Trayvon Martin case and many others. The forum, Trayvon Martin & Beyond: a Forum on Race, Media, & Criminal Law, will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 18, Rroom 25, Mondale Hall, 229 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis.

This forum will not debate the merits of the Martin case, but it will touch on questions such as: What are the underlying race dynamics that affect criminal law? In what ways does the media present issues of race and law -- appropriately and inappropriately? How can lawyers and courts ensure that their work does not promote racial inequality? How can lawyers work to counter media influences?

Speakers:

Judge Pamela Alexander -- Alexander grew up in South Minneapolis and is an alumna of the U of M Law School. She has served as a criminal defense attorney, a prosecutor and a district court judge and is currently the president of the Council on Crime and Justice. She will speak on race and the criminal justice system and initiatives on eliminating race bias in the criminal justice system in Minneapolis.

U of M professor Michele Goodwin -- Goodwin is the Everett Fraser Professor in Law at U of M. She has written extensively on the cognitive bias surrounding the images of people of color. She will speak on the development of cognitive bias connecting criminality with communities of color, and how its fallout affects youth of color.

U of M professor Perry Moriearty -- Moriearty teaches at the U of M and co-directs the Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Clinic at the university. She has written on the interaction of media, bias, color and juvenile juvenile justice.

U of M professor Carl Warren – Warren teaches in the U of M Civil Practice Clinic. He managed the Human Rights Division of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office for two years, and is a Law School graduate. He will speak on the historical foundations of current patterns of race in the criminal justice system and their influence on ongoing civil rights concerns.

Second year U of M law student Shy Cunningham will moderate the panel discussion. She is currently conducting research on the Trayvon Martin case and its broader implications. She is an NAACP LDF Warren Scholar, Fredrikson & Byron Minority Scholar and Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers McGee Scholar.

Find out more about the forum at http://mnjusticeleague.blogspot.com and email mnjusticeleague [a] gmail (p) com to submit your questions to the panel.

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• Last modified on April 17, 2012