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Past Conversations

Septmber 17, 2020

4:30-5:45 p.m.

Our first conversation this academic year will focus on racial justice and systemic racism. This interactive panel will examine a range of topics, including law enforcement transparency and accountability, police divestment and defunding, and police practices such as “stop and frisk." Subsequent conversations will discuss health disparities and the COVID-19 pandemic, and voter disenfranchisement.

Panelists:

Monu Bedi, Professor of Law, DePaul University College of Law

Craig Futterman, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Chicago

Karen Sheley, Director, Police Practices Projects, ACLU Illinois

Moderator: Maryam Ahmad, Bureau Chief, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; President, Chicago Bar Association

Community Conversations is supported by the DePaul College of Law Dean, faculty, Programs of Excellence, student leadership and alumni councils.

October 5, 2020

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Please join us for a presentation about voting rights, disenfranchisement and election security. After the panel discussion, there will be time for audience questions, as well as a conversation about the steps that can be taken to participate in Election Day, not just as voters, but also as election judgeS and poll workers.

Additionally, the Pro Bono & Community Service Initiative (PBCSI) has opportunities to work as poll workers through the ABA and volunteers for the national Election Protection hotline. For more information, please email pbcsi@depaul.edu.

Panelists:

Jenny Terrell, Voting Rights and Civic Empowerment, Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Noah Praetz, Partner, The Elections Group; Adjunct Professor, DePaul College of Law

Christina Rivers, Associate Professor of Political Science, DePaul University

Moderator: David Franklin, Professor, DePaul College of Law

The Community Conversations series provides the DePaul law community with a forum for discussing timely legal and policy issues with candor, dignity and respect in accordance with our Vincentian tradition, and it considers calls to action that will shape our community going forward.

This Community Conversation is co-sponsored by the Center for Public Interest Law and the Public Interest Law Association, and the Community Conversations series is supported by the DePaul College of Law Dean, faculty, Programs of Excellence, student leadership and alumni councils.

October 15, 2020

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Please join us for a panel discussion about the impact of COVID-19 on Black, indigenous, people of color, focusing on healthcare inequities and systemic racism. Communities of color continue to be marginalized and discriminated against by laws that create and perpetuate health disparities.  As a result, these communities struggle at higher rates with poor health outcomes and a shortened life expectancy. COVID-19 has only highlighted these health disparities and racial inequality on a local, regional and national level. 

After the panel discussion, there will be time for audience questions, as well as a conversation about the steps that can be taken to promote health justice, create pathways to equitable access to healthcare, and improve health outcomes. 

Panelists:

Linda Rae Murray, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Cook County Health

Crystal McDonald, Parent Engagement & Community Health Worker, Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation

Margarita Reina, Senior Epidemiologist, City of Chicago Department of Public Health 

Moderator: Caroline Chapman, Senior Director of Litigation and Advocacy, Legal Counsel for Health Justice; Adjunct Professor, DePaul University College of Law

Pending MCLE approval, this event will be worth one hour of Illinois diversity and inclusion CLE.

The Community Conversations series provides the DePaul law community with a forum for discussing timely legal and policy issues with candor, dignity and respect in accordance with our Vincentian tradition, and it considers calls to action that will shape our community going forward.

The Conversations are supported by the DePaul College of Law Dean, faculty, Programs of Excellence, student leadership and alumni councils, and this Conversation was organized by the College of Law’s Center for Public Interest Law, Jaharis Health Law Institute and Women of Color Collective.

March 10, 2021

12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Please join us for a conversation with Jahmal Cole, founder and CEO of one of the City of Chicago’s fastest growing social impact organizations—My Block My Hood My City.  A champion of social justice, Mr. Cole will share the experiences that led him to his career as a mentor and the creator of this influential organization, which is dedicated to providing underprivileged youth with an awareness of the world and opportunities beyond their neighborhood.  He also will discuss how we can move from thoughts to action to support and advocate for positive changes in our communities.

Mr. Cole’s mission is to build a more interconnected Chicago on the pillars of service and education.  His exposure-based education program for teens and network of volunteer initiatives serves Chicago communities year-round. Traveling, youth mentorship and community organizing are the subjects of his highly acclaimed books and speeches, and he has spoken to audiences ranging from high school students to the Mayor of Chicago. Most recently, Mr. Cole was named one of the 25 Most Powerful Chicagoans by Crain’s Magazine, and he also was awarded the 2020 American Red Cross Community Impact Hero Award. In 2019, he was named to Crain’s 40 under 40 and received the 2019 Champion of Freedom Award.  In 2018, he was named a Chicago Defender Men of Excellence Honoree, received the Chicago City Council Resolution Award, and he was named one of the “20 Most Inspiring Chicagoans” by Streetwise Magazine and a Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine.

April 13, 2021

4:00 - 4:55 p.m.

During this presentation, the Cutlers will define micro-aggressions and provide examples of those we might encounter in our professional lives. They also will provide guidance on how to handle micro-aggressions, provide micro-affirmations and, more generally, help us be better allies. There will be time for Q&A at the conclusion of the presentation.
 
Award-winning trial attorneys Keith and Dana Cutler are partners in the law firm of James W. Tippin & Associates in Kansas City, Missouri, practicing in the areas of civil defense litigation, education law and small business representation. When not practicing law, they are co-judges on the two-time Emmy-nominated, nationally syndicated daytime television courtroom show “Couples Court with the Cutlers,” which features couples who are having conflicts, complications, or disagreements in their relationships.  The show, distributed by MGM’s Orion Television, is seen daily in over 85% of the United States.
 
Dana has served in several positions of bar leadership during her career, including being the first woman of color elected president of  the Missouri Bar, in 2016.  Her numerous bar-related awards include three President’s Awards from the Missouri Bar; a President’s Award from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association; the Ronda F. Williams Spirit of Diversity Award; and the Sly James Diversity and Inclusion Award, just to name a few.  She has been recognized as a Missouri Super Lawyer since 2014 and was honored as the 2018 Woman of the Year by Missouri Lawyers Weekly at their Annual Women’s Justice Awards Luncheon.  Dana’s practice is concentrated in Education Law with a focus on charter schools and general liability defense.  She has tried more than 20 bench and jury trials.  Dana received her BA in English, with honors, from Spelman College and her JD from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
 
In more than 30 years of practice, Keith has been the first chair in over 80 civil trials, in addition to arguments before the Courts of Appeals in Missouri and Kansas, the Missouri Supreme Court, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.  He is very active in the Bar, having served as president or chair of several bar associations and bar committees, and he is an adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at the University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) School of Law.  Keith is a frequent seminar speaker on trial practice, ethics and professionalism, and his awards include the Lewis W. Clymer Award from the Jackson County Bar Association, the Decade Award from the UMKC School of Law, and the prestigious Lon O. Hocker Memorial Trial Award, given annually to three lawyers across the state of Missouri under the age of 36 who have demonstrated unusual proficiency in the art of trial advocacy.  Keith received his BS in Physics from Morehouse College and his JD from UMKC.
October 26, 2021
4:30 pm - 5:45 pm 
Lewis 341 and Online
 
Panelists will explore areas in which Asian-Americans interface with the law—ranging from discrimination and hate crimes, to model minorities and leaders in the legal profession, to allyship with other affinity groups building community and transforming institutions.
 
Following the panel presentation, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and share their perspectives.
 
Moderator:
  • Aurora Austriaco (JD ‘90), Partner, Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel
 
Panelists:
  • Nancy Andrade, Chair and Commissioner, Chicago Commission on Human Relations at City of Chicago
  • Sam Chae (JD '13), Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
  • Sufyan Sohel (JD '11), Deputy Director and General Counsel, CAIR-Chicago


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