Dean Mark E. Brandon welcomed an impressive Class of 2018 during First-Year Orientation.
“The heart of what makes Alabama a superb place to study, and I should say the reason that we do what we do here, are you, our students, and you are a distinguished group by any proper measure,” Brandon said.
The Class of 2018 has 154 students and was drawn from a pool of nearly 1,600 applicants. Eighty-four percent of those applicants came from outside the state of Alabama. Members of the Class of 2018 come from 25 states and two countries, and have studied at 74 colleges and universities. Forty-five percent of the class members are women, and 26 percent identify as members of a racial or ethnic minority, the highest percentage in the history of the Law School.
Some members of the class hold advanced degrees in business administration, financial planning and medicine, while others studied or worked in 28 countries as well as read or speak 15 languages from around the world.
“More than ever, law and legal institutions are global, so your international experience and knowledge will be an asset to all of us,” Brandon said.
The Law School called on alumnus Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, to inspire the class. Dees (’60) revisited two cases from 1981. The first was a case he took after white fisherman waged a campaign against Vietnamese fishermen in Galveston Bay. The white fishermen were concerned about the growing competition from Vietnamese immigrants and invited the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan to Seabrook, Texas.
Crosses were burned, and boats were destroyed. The immigrants were so afraid many of them posted “for sale” signs on their boats. They even considered withdrawing the lawsuit. Ultimately, a judge issued a preliminary injunction that stopped the Klan’s actions.
Later, Dees witnessed the blessing of the fleet, while U.S. Marshals ensured the rights of the Vietnamese immigrants were not violated.
“I have to tell you for the first time in my life I understood the value of diversity in this nation,” he said.
For the second case, Dees told the story of Beulah Mae Donald. Donald’s son, Michael, was killed in Baldwin County and his body was found hanging from a tree in a black neighborhood in Mobile. Two Ku Klux Klansmen were convicted in the case.
At the trial, Dees said, one of the men asked Donald for forgiveness. “And she said, ‘Son, I’ve already forgiven you.’”
Dees used both stories to urge the students to effect change.
“You’re going to have great opportunities as lawyers when you leave here to go into communities in this state and around this country to make a difference,” he said. “When you go up those big elevators to those tall buildings, don’t leave your conscience on the ground floor. Because no matter what you do or when you do it, you can always give your time to help those who are less fortunate.”
Orientation continues through Aug. 12. Classes begin Aug. 13.