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Univ. of Maryland Creates Freddie Gray Class at Carey School of Law

Summary: The death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore has resulted in the Carey School of Law establishing a class on social justice issues.

Out of the darkness, something positive blossomed for the University of Maryland’s Carey School of Law. Freddie Gray’s death from a police arrest gone wrong in April was a dark time for Baltimore. There were days of violent riots mixed with peaceful protests.

Most law schools were preparing for the end of the semester with their usual finals when the tragedy occurred. The Dean of the law school, Donald Tobin, said, “We were actually right at the end of the semester and right in the middle of exams. And so our students sort of left here without a time to discuss or consider the issues that were raised by what was happening in our backyard.”

The Carey School of Law wanted to find a way to address these issues. So it reacted to the turmoil by creating a new class for its students.

The new class will be called, “Freddie Gray’s Baltimore: Past, Present, and Moving Forward.” It is an eight-week course that will examine community policing, health care, and housing. Students in the course will also get the chance to step outside the classroom and volunteer in the community.

Carey is not the only law school with a class that explores social justice issues like gender, race, and sexual orientation. The University of California – Berkeley’s School of Law has established the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice to teach students how to help people fight these issues.

Source: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-law-schools/articles/2015/09/21/launch-a-career-in-social-justice-with-law-school

Photo: linkedin.com

Amanda Griffin: