Black Law Students Association
The Black Law Students Association invites students to attend the Brummer Symposium at 1 p.m. Friday, April 8, at the U of A Law School Courtroom, Room 240.
Every two years, the Black Law Students Association holds a program called the Brummer Symposium, in honor of Chauncey Brummer, the first black professor at the U of A School of Law. The symposium is an opportunity to educate students both in the law school and in the broader campus community. Additionally, the symposium aims to inform and spark conversations between the legal profession and the Black community. Our goal is to foster a dialogue regarding diversity, particularly as it relates to the legal field within Arkansas.
This year’s symposium speaker is Kenneth Reams, a native of Arkansas. In 1993, Reams was convicted by an all-white jury for a murder he did not commit after refusing to accept a plea deal. At 18, Reams became the youngest person on death row in Arkansas. He spent 26 years in solitary confinement on death row until his conviction was overturned in 2018. The Arkansas Supreme Court overturned Ream’s death sentence, citing that he was denied a fair sentence due to ineffective counsel.
Despite his imprisonment, Reams became a famous poet, painter, nonprofit founder, and organizer of arts events. Her story was captured in her award-winning documentary Free men, which was screened in several locations around the world, including Beirut, Buenos Aires, Geneva, Islamabad, Tokyo, Italy and Vienna. Additionally, Reams has shared his life story and experiences in the criminal justice system with academic communities across the United States such as Princeton University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Miami School of Law. Rames remains in solitary confinement in Grady, Arkansas.
For the Brummer’s Symposium, Reams will share his documentary Free men and call in for his talk, where he will share his story with his fellow Arkansans.
This event is supported by the Student Activities Fee as an Associated Student Government Funded Event and is free to all students currently enrolled at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville who pay the Student Activity Fee . For questions about the event or for accommodations due to a disability, please contact Shayla Dawson, [email protected], or call 479-575-5255.
