Cultivating Leaders

Black alumni from BC Law use their law degrees in almost every imaginable capacity: judges, academics and professors, associates and partners in firms of every size and practice area, prosecutors, defense attorneys, impact lawyers at organizations like the NAACP, non-profit executives, government agencies, general counsel, and political leaders. One of the broad goals of the Black Alumni Network (BAN) is to grow Black lawyer leadership across the profession and to cultivate lawyers committed to social and economic justice, regardless of any particular work setting.

Due to factors like longtime formal barriers to entry and persistent wealth disparities, only around 5% of lawyers in the United States are Black, far fewer than the 13.5% of folks who identify as Black in the total U.S. population. This means clients often do not see themselves reflected in their lawyers and judges, and that Black people are not properly represented at many levels of policy- and decision-making. One of the challenges of bridging those gaps is the soaring cost of a legal education. The cost of attending law school surpasses the means of an increasing number of students. It is crucial to recognize that a disproportionate burden of student debt falls on Black law graduates, coinciding with a disproportionate number of Black individuals facing unmet needs for legal representation. BAN created a scholarship fund that aims to alleviate this burden from both sides.

In 1995, at the 10-year anniversary of the founding of the Black Alumni Network, BAN initiated a fundraising campaign, which has garnered generous contributions from numerous BAN members and other alumni and supporters over the years. At the February 2009 annual BAN meeting, the initiative was renamed the Ruth-Arlene W. Howe Black Student Leadership Initiative in honor of our beloved alumna, mentor, and leader, Professor Howe ’74. The Initiative's overarching goals are to identify, recruit, retain, and support Black students with demonstrated leadership potential at BC Law. In 2016, the scholarship was awarded for the first time to Taisha Sturdivant ‘16, who went on to practice affordable housing law and to work on diversity pipeline initiatives at Kirkland Ellis.

Each year, the BC Law School Scholarship Committee collaborates with BAN to award this scholarship to a BC Law student who demonstrates a commitment to the Black and/or African-American descent community within the law school or beyond campus. The scholarship decision-making process includes a representative designated by the BAN Board of Directors. Key considerations for the committee include a candidate’s financial need, academic record, and leadership activities that demonstrate engagement with and contributions to the Black African descent community. In this way, BAN hopes to nurture individuals who will use their legal training to bring about positive changes in society.