"So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind—it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact—I can only submit to the edict of others.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Give Us the Ballot Address, Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (May 17, 1957, Washington, DC)
Please join us for a community conversation as we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a champion for equal rights and dignity for all.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
12:00 – 1:00pm (CST)
DePaul Center Room 8005 and Zoom
Lunch will be served to all Eventbrite in-person registrants beginning at 11:30 a.m.
Free Registration
"How MLK 'S Life and Legacy has Impacted My Life and Professional Career"
Bertina E. Lampkin (JD '74), Justice, Illinois Appellate Court, First District
Justice Lampkin has served on the Illinois Appellate Court for almost 15 years. During her time on the bench, she has been a presiding justice, chair of the Executive Committee for the Appellate Court, and a member of five different Illinois Supreme Court committees, serving as chair of three of them. She currently serves on the Appellate Lawyers Association Rules Committee and as chair of the Appellate Court Administrative Committee, where she oversees the Illinois Supreme Court’s Volunteer Pro Bono Program for Criminal Appeals. She also was elected to serve as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Office of the State Appellate Defender.
Prior to her appellate court appointment, Justice Lampkin served as a Cook County circuit court and associate judge, including as supervising judge of the Domestic Violence Courts and the Criminal Division. Before starting her judicial career, she a was a City of Chicago assistant corporation counsel and a Cook County assistant state’s attorney.
Justice Lampkin has taught judges in various aspects of the law for 24 years, including death penalty litigation, proper handling of guilty pleas, jury selection and appellate practice. She has won numerous awards including the Cook County Bar Association’s Judicial Award, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office C.F. Stradford Award, the National Black Prosecutors Award, the DePaul College of Law Distinguished Service to the Profession Award, and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois’ Mary Heftel Hooten Award for Service to the Profession.
For more than 40 years, Justice Lampkin has worked for diversity, equity and inclusion of African Americans and other minorities in the legal profession. She is a mentor to many and an inspiration to all.
Please register by February 12, 2024. There is a room cap of 100 in-person attendees. Online participants will receive a link to view the presentation just ahead of the event. No proof of vaccination is required of guests and masks are optional.
You may be asked to show your ID while on campus. We know your time is valuable, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation.
DePaul College of Law is an accredited MCLE provider. This event is eligible for up to 1 CLE credit hour.