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In
1968, Algernon
Johnson "A.J." Cooper founded the Black American Law
Students Association (BALSA) at the New York University Law School.
BALSA's purpose was to effectuate change in the legal system. The
association endeavored to sensitize the law and legal profession to
the ever-increasing needs of the Black community. This commitment has
never wavered.
In
1983, BALSA
revised its name. The word "American" was deleted to encompass all
Blacks who were not of American nationality. Later, the word
"National" was added to reflect the extent to which the organization
had expanded.
The National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA), the largest
student-run organization in America, has over 200 chapters at law
schools throughout the country. This represents almost every ABA
accredited law school, plus several non-accredited law schools. These
chapters represent over 6,000 Black law students in six regions which
encompass 48 states including Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico. Recently, NBLSA established international links with Black law
students in Canada, England and South Africa who decided to model
their student organizations after NBLSA.
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NBLSA's societal impact is enormous. In its effort to remain
responsive to the needs of the Black community in general and the
Black law student in particular, the NBLSA has initiated many worthy
programs and is often active in joint-effort programming with other
organizations that have goals and objectives analogous to its own.
NBLSA continues to conduct its prestigious Frederick Douglass Moot
Court Competition and expand its national Adopt-A-School Program. In
addition, through its Nelson Mandela Scholarship Program, NBLSA awards
six scholarships of over $500.00 each to black law students annually.
With emphasis on economic self-help, abolishing apartheid, and
forwarding a progressive civil rights position, NBLSA continues its
strong commitment to the objectives of the Association. Further, the
Association maintains strong ties with the National Bar Association,
the National Conference of Black Lawyers, the Council on Legal
Education Opportunity, and the National Black Leadership Roundtable.
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BLSA serves as a strong basis for academic
support and professional networking. Through
these objectives, we hope to make the law school program a learning
experience outside the classroom and to equip students with the necessary
tools to make a difference once law school has been completed.
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) has
been and is an integral part of the University of Richmond law school
community. The organization strives to achieve five goals as stated in our
Constitution:
- Sensitize the law and the legal system to the
needs of the Black community;
- Instill a greater awareness of and commitment
to the Black community as it relates to national and international legal
systems;
- Provide a channel for opinions which represent
the Black law students' perspectives;
- Encourage and promote the enrollment of Black
law students desiring admissions; and
- Augment and improve the intellectual,
cultural, and social connection among all students at the University of
Richmond School of Law.
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