Marissa McCall Dodson, the public policy director for the Southern Center for Human Rights, will be the keynote speaker for the Law Week 2017, an annual tradition at Georgia State Law. Dodson will address “Georgia’s Criminal Justice System: Mass Incarceration and Achieving Racial Justice,” at noon Wednesday, April 5, in Room 241.
“It was important to us to choose someone from the community who has worked hard to achieve criminal justice reforms in Georgia because our state has been a leader in this area, especially under Gov. Nathan Deal,” said Darlene Childers (J.D. ’17), Student Bar Association president and chair of the Law Week committee. “She’s also a fantastic person.”
The week kicks off Monday, April 3. Each day there are either speakers or panels at noon and 5 p.m. with lunch or dinner provided. Student organizations are responsible for inviting speakers and the offering this year is quite diverse, said Childers.
Law Week emphasizes public service, Childers said, which is why SBA and other student organizations have added a day of service on Saturday, April 9. They will be working with Caring for Others and Atlanta Community Food Bank to package and distribute food to low-income families. Caring for Others is an organization that seeks to eradicate poverty by feeding and educating families around the world.
“It is an opportunity to emphasize and highlight the law school’s commitment to public service,” Childers said.
Breakfast will be provided every day, as well as lunch and dinner during the sessions. Lunch sessions begin at noon with dinner sessions at 5 p.m. Students are encouraged to attend as many of the sessions as they can.