Elena Kagan, Dean of the Harvard Law School, introduces the first two panels. The first panel is composed of key lawyers
who participated in the Brown v. Board case, as well as the children and grandchildren of several of the attorneys. States Dean
Kagan, "This is a remarkable collection of attorneys, or a remarkable collection of human beings, who really made possible the greatest
legal event in the 20th century." This panel describes the momentous events leading up to Brown v. Board and the personal
decisions made by the Brown lawyers as related to this historic case.
The second panel includes distinguished scholars from the Harvard Law School, the Harvard Graduate School of Education,
as well as visiting lawyers. This panel takes on the legacy of Brown v. Board, where we’ve gone in the past fifty years, and what
the future holds for civil rights. What are the aspirations embedded in Brown v. Board, asks the panel, and what are new
directions for advancing civil rights in this country?
Dean Kagan announces that Professor Charles Ogletree will establish a new program at Harvard Law School called the
Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. "Charles Hamilton Houston, who really spearheaded the drive that led to
Brown v. Board, was an alumnus of this law school. We honor him in a number of ways." States Dean Kagan, Charles Hamilton
Houston is perhaps the most distinguished and influential graduate of Harvard Law School, and Professor Ogletree, as one of today's
premiere civil rights attorneys, will carry forward Houston’s legacy and his aspirations for law in leading this institute.
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