Contact: Darren Johnson, Director of Communications
(631) 421-2244, ext. 383, djohnson@tourolaw.edu

April 8, 2005

“Affirmative Reaction”:

Controversial UCLA Professor to Face Off in Debate

Huntington, N.Y. – In a first-of-its kind event, Touro Law Center will host a roundtable debate with controversial UCLA Professor Richard Sander, whose paper, “A Systemic Analysis of Affirmative Action in American Law Schools,” has created a firestorm in the academic world.

Sander’s thesis: Affirmative action programs have hurt African-American law students and produced fewer African-American lawyers. He asserts that affirmative action leads to African Americans attending law schools where they cannot compete, thus dropping out or having trouble passing the bar exam, and concludes that "a race-blind system" will produce more black lawyers.

He will face off against Anurima Bhargava, Assistant Counsel with the NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund. An expert on and advocate for affirmative action, she graduated from Columbia Law School. Also included in the discussion will be Touro Law professors Deborah Post, Douglas Scherer and Daniel Subotnik.

The event is titled “Affirmative Reaction: African-American Students in Legal Education” and takes place on Wednesday, April 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Faculty Conference Room. Sponsored by the Touro Journal of Race, Gender, and Ethnicity, the event is free and open to the public. Call 631-421-2244 ext. 383 for details.

###