Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, March 2004 (Vol. 32, No. 7). All rights reserved.

Law Students Across the Nation Prepare for Diversity Day

by Kenneth Gorton

Each year, the ABA Law Student Division challenges students across the country to think about issues and become involved in projects that promote diversity by celebrating Diversity Day in April.

"Diversity Day promotes awareness among all ethnicities," says Joan Walker, the Law Student Division's governor for the Sixth Circuit and chair of the Division's diversity committee. "It brings us together to celebrate our differences."

The Law Student Division encourages schools to participate in Diversity Day, but it's up to students at each school to develop programs and events. Such programs can involve just the law school or extend to the wider community. They can span the whole week or concentrate on April 4, the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.

Programs law students have created in the past include panel discussions, cultural exchange events, and film showings. Georgia State University College of Law traditionally celebrates Diversity Day with Law Week, featuring events and programs during the entire first week of April.

Last spring, students at Northwestern University School of Law hosted the school's sixth-annual Diversity Week, which grew out of Diversity Day because "one day for diversity just wasn't enough," according to organizers. Events were funded in part by the ABA Law Student Division's Grant Program. Students and members of the community discussed issues like the Americans With Disabilities Act, affirmative action, and institutional discrimination. The activities drew more than 300 students and members of the local community.

Funds for your school's Diversity Day program can come directly from your law school by way of student activity fees or fund-raisers. Many schools allocate funding for student programs such as those associated with Diversity Day.

Money also is available from the ABA through the Law Student Division's Grant Program, which may award up to $500 per program. Students are encouraged to apply for funding at any time during the year, but the actual program must be completed by May 1. Applications are due at least four weeks before the date of the project. For applications and further information, visit www.abanet.org/lsd/grant.html.

The Law Student Division also offers many other diversity programs, awards, and publications. For details, visit www.abanet.org/lsd/diversity.