The Legal Eagle Review

African American Veterans

On this show, we talk about African American veterans and the vital role they played in the civil rights movement with Duke University History Professor Adriane Lentz-Smith, author of “Freedom Struggles: African Americans and WWI.”

Discussion with NCCU Law Alum Ya Lui, the first Asian American elected to the Cary Town Council

And on October 8, 2019, NCCU Law Alum Ya Lui became the first Asian American elected to the Cary Town Council. Dr. Lui talks about her decision to run, her campaign, and her historic win.

Native American Issues in North Carolina

On the second Monday in October, many cities and states celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day, instead of the federally recognized but controversial Columbus Day holiday. Indigenous Peoples' Day has been officially recognized in North Carolina since 2017 when Gov. Cooper issued a proclamation declaring the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day in the state. He has issued a proclamation every year. North Carolina is home to more than 122,000 American Indians and has eight historic tribes. On this show, we talk about the rich culture of Native Americans in the state and the legal issues facing their communities with guests Greg Richardson, Executive Director of the NC Commission of Indian Affairs, Native American attorney Heather McMillan Nakai, and Joshua Richardson, third-year law student, SBA President, and President of the Native American Law Students Association.

Federal Higher Education Policies and the Impact on American Women

In this episode, we have a discussion with Dr. Deondra Rose about her book “Citizens by Degree: Higher Education Policy and the Changing Gender Dynamics of American Citizenship.” Dr. Rose is an Assistant Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy with a secondary appointment in the Department of Political Science. Also, joining the discussion is NCCU Law professor and Mayor of Carrboro, N.C., Lydia Lavelle.

NCCU Drama Department & Authur Reese Podcast

The NCCU Theatre Department is putting on a production of “A Need Fulfilled,” which tells the story of the 600 brave black women who fought for the right to serve their country as nurses in World War II. The musical drama, first performed at NCCU in spring 2019, was written and directed by NCCU Theatre Professor Arthur M. Reese. On this show, we talk with Professor Reese about the play and the NCCU Theatre Department.

The Crown Act & Natural Hair Discrimination

The CROWN Act stands for Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair Act. And the recently enacted California CROWN Act makes it not only unlawful for employers and schools to ban natural and protective hairstyles African descendants commonly wear, but it also recognizes that these grooming policies constitute racial discrimination. On this show, we talk about the harms associated with race-based hair discrimination and efforts to enact the CROWN Act throughout the country with Professor Wendy Greene, Professor of Law at Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia and one of the nation’s leading scholars (if not the leading scholar) on grooming code discrimination.

Reconstruction, Redemption and the Ongoing Struggle For Freedom

The Reconstruction era is typically defined as that period starting at 1865 with the ratification of the 13th Amendment and ending in 1877 with the disputed presidential election of Rutherford B. Hayes and the Compromise of 1877. But so often in school, that time period in our nation’s history is glossed over. What do we really know about Reconstruction? And how can studying that period help us better understand where we are today as a county? On this show, we talk with Attorney James Williams, retired Orange County Chief Public Defender and the organizer of an upcoming symposium on the Reconstruction period, and Dr. William Sturkey, Professor of History at UNC Chapel Hill, and author of a recently published book titled “Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White.”

Impact of NCCU Law Alumni - Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston

The mission of North Carolina Central University School of Law is to provide high quality, personalized, practice-oriented, and affordable legal education to historically underrepresented students from diverse backgrounds to increase diversity in the legal profession. NCCU Law graduates are encouraged and empowered to become highly competent and socially responsible lawyers and leaders committed to public service and to meeting the needs of underserved communities. This mission helps NCCU Law and its graduates create a more just society. Many NCCU Law alums are living the mission and using the legal training they received at NCCU Law to serve the community. On this show, we talked with one such alum -- Judge Ashleigh Parker Dunston. In 2017, only five years after graduating from law school, Judge Dunston was appointed by the governor to the District Court bench in Wake County, NC. Judge Dunston, who was 30 at the time of her appointment, was only the third and the youngest African American female District Court Judge in Wake County history.

Midyear Political Assessment

In 1971, the noted philosopher Marvin Gaye recorded a blockbuster song, What’s Going On, which captured the political mood of a large portion of Americans and the vast majority of African Americans. Today, we find a similar mood in this country as many people question the State of Democracy and whether the political process is being abused and misused.

As we move toward the 2020 elections, we take the time tonight to talk about an assessment of “what is going on” with respect to the actions of elected officials as they affect the rights and expectations of people. As we sit here today, there are ongoing discussions of efforts to impeach Donald Trump as President, there are widening use of racist antagonisms within the political process, and there are alarming and escalating attacks upon established political institutions and protections.

Joining us tonight to discuss this topic is the NCCU resident political science expert Dr. Jarvis Hall, a Professor in the NCCU Political Science Department. We want to thank you for taking time from your busy summer schedule to participate in this discussion.

Supreme Court Term Review 2018-19

On October 1, 2018, the first Monday in October last year, the U.S. Supreme Court began its most recent term. On Thursday, June 27, 2019, the Court issued its final decisions of the term. During this show, we’re going to talk about some of the major cases from the Supreme Court’s term and their implications. Joining us for this discussion are NCCU Law Professor and Associate Dean Malik Edwards and NCCU Law Professor Don Corbett. Both Professors Edwards and Corbett teach a number of courses including Constitutional Law.