WEBVTT - Ep5: A Ram in the Bush 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:03.200 Class action is a production of I Heart Radio and 0:00:03.320 --> 0:00:09.160 sound argument. If Ida's winds verify that one fifty mile 0:00:09.240 --> 0:00:12.640 per hour landfall today, it will tie for the strongest 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.640 hurricane on record to strike the Louisiana coast and the 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:19.680 strongest to strike the Bayou parishes since Betsy. We are 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:21.799 keeping an eye on some of these power puls here 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:25.680 a concern that potentially those could come down. And we've 0:00:25.720 --> 0:00:29.800 got category three gusts, flooding rains that are recurring with 0:00:29.840 --> 0:00:33.680 flood mornings in the city. Tornado possibilities as well. This 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:36.920 is going all night long. This is not gonna stop 0:00:37.240 --> 0:00:40.599 until tomorrow morning. And the longer the winds blow like this, 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:44.519 the more damage there is to the infrastructure. For most areas, 0:00:44.520 --> 0:00:47.320 you're looking at between ninety two and nine eight percent 0:00:47.600 --> 0:00:51.760 of residents without power. Flooding made some streets of passable. 0:00:52.280 --> 0:00:55.960 This is one of the many trees uprooted by Hurricane 0:00:56.080 --> 0:01:00.760 Ida's strong winds throughout the New Orleans area. The hurricanes 0:01:01.040 --> 0:01:07.319 devastating impact is obvious. I left New Orleans with three 0:01:07.400 --> 0:01:10.200 days of clothes, thinking I was coming right back, and 0:01:10.280 --> 0:01:13.119 now it's two weeks later and I don't have anything 0:01:13.800 --> 0:01:18.479 that is UM Professional to wear. My name is Adria 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:22.000 Kimbro and I am the coach for the Dealer University 0:01:22.040 --> 0:01:26.840 mock trial team. Today is September the twentieth. Our campus 0:01:26.880 --> 0:01:31.440 is still closed. Our students have all evacuated to their 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:35.760 respective homes or to some place that they decided to evacuate. 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:40.560 The city UM is still very much in recovery. I 0:01:40.720 --> 0:01:43.759 just got my trash picked up on Saturday, the first 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:48.640 time in probably three weeks. We had students who had 0:01:48.960 --> 0:01:53.400 family members and loved ones who lost folks to COVID 0:01:54.120 --> 0:01:58.320 and then to follow that with a hurricane almost a 0:01:58.400 --> 0:02:02.080 Category five this year, so sort of back to back. 0:02:03.360 --> 0:02:07.520 So the campus will reopen on Friday and in person 0:02:07.600 --> 0:02:12.000 classes will resume on Monday. But certainly what that means 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:16.440 is it relates to our team, is that we are 0:02:16.480 --> 0:02:19.480 a bit behind. What is it? What doesn't kill you 0:02:19.560 --> 0:02:25.160 makes you stronger. I'm Katie Fang. This is episode five 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:52.880 of Class Action. A ram in the Bush. It's a desert. 0:02:53.440 --> 0:02:56.880 It's a desert, one week after the campus of Dillard 0:02:56.960 --> 0:02:59.519 University in New Orleans was shut down because of the 0:02:59.600 --> 0:03:06.560 damage my Hurricane Ida. It it hurts, That's just it hurts. 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.760 Students like DeAndre Bell are making the best of it. 0:03:11.520 --> 0:03:14.440 This is lawless chapel. This is where we hold all 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:17.120 of our church services and things of that nature. If 0:03:17.160 --> 0:03:20.280 you look, you can see that the big main window 0:03:20.760 --> 0:03:23.040 at the point or the tip of the chapel was 0:03:23.080 --> 0:03:25.400 blown out. There was a big crossing there, blown out, 0:03:25.440 --> 0:03:26.800 all that kind of stuff. They had to patch it 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:30.519 up with wood. These are the gardens apartments. You can't 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:32.440 see from here, but like some of the rules are 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:35.440 slightly caved in because the tree branches and things like that. 0:03:36.000 --> 0:03:39.480 They have as bestos in the walls, and the hurricane 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:41.880 shook up the walls enough to release that into the air, 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:44.560 which is why we had to move into the hotel 0:03:44.600 --> 0:03:48.040 to begin with. All right, good morning everyone, Welcome back, 0:03:48.240 --> 0:03:51.800 Welcome back. I hope that you all have gotten something 0:03:51.840 --> 0:03:55.480 to eat. Go back if you feel so inclined, because 0:03:55.520 --> 0:03:57.400 we pay for it, so you might as well eat it. 0:03:58.560 --> 0:04:01.560 The point is the same, The principle is the same, 0:04:02.120 --> 0:04:05.920 while there is truth to it. Twice as good as what, 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:09.600 twice as good as home. I mean, let's just be 0:04:09.640 --> 0:04:12.560 frank about it. So we're saying twice as good as 0:04:12.800 --> 0:04:16.479 the standard, which is white, right, that's I mean, that's 0:04:16.480 --> 0:04:20.360 really what it means. And so why is white the standard? 0:04:21.600 --> 0:04:25.840 Why should it be? Why should it be instead of 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:30.400 measuring ourselves in comparison to others, we figure out what 0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.200 our standard is and work to meet it every time. 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:39.840 If it's excellence, it's excellence period. You all know the 0:04:39.880 --> 0:04:41.920 history of the team. You know, we started the team 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:44.440 in one year. The second year we made it to 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:48.239 the opening round Championship, which was just like ridiculous. So 0:04:49.160 --> 0:04:52.839 once the team had achieved to hit that benchmark, then 0:04:52.839 --> 0:04:54.719 it was like, well, now we want to go to 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.760 nationals because we've we've been to orcs, so let's nationals 0:04:57.800 --> 0:05:00.520 is the next thing. And I think that eard year 0:05:00.640 --> 0:05:04.960 and since it's always been nationals, nationals, nationals, and that 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:10.280 makes sense, like that's an admirable goal. Sterling's point was 0:05:10.360 --> 0:05:15.320 that Nick Saban is not focused on winning. My name 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:18.479 is Lashing, my graduating senior um. This would be my 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:22.160 fourth and final year on this team. This is DeAndre Here, 0:05:22.240 --> 0:05:25.320 I am a junior. This is my third year at 0:05:25.400 --> 0:05:28.680 Dilan Montreal. This is a Maya Runswick. I'm a graduating 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.919 senior as well, and it is my fourth and final 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:34.120 year one value that I've learned is being able to 0:05:34.200 --> 0:05:37.000 lead from every position. I didn't start off as the 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:39.200 president or vice president on this team. I started off 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:43.120 as a middle attorney or an opening attorney. I've been 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.479 a witness, I've been a timekeeper, I've been a closer 0:05:46.480 --> 0:05:49.160 and opener, and I've had to learn how to help 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:51.640 lead my team even when I didn't have all of 0:05:51.680 --> 0:05:54.840 the accolades to show. For you, DeAndre here for me. 0:05:54.960 --> 0:05:57.679 One of the biggest takeaways I've gotten from mock trial 0:05:57.880 --> 0:06:01.359 is the ability to use my voice for something that's 0:06:01.400 --> 0:06:03.480 not for me, you know what I'm saying. Growing up 0:06:03.480 --> 0:06:05.480 as a church boy from Texas, there are a lot 0:06:05.560 --> 0:06:07.760 of flashy things that we do in the church that 0:06:08.080 --> 0:06:11.200 don't necessarily translate well into the courtroom. So learning how 0:06:11.240 --> 0:06:14.239 to adjust and modify different approaches has definitely been something 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:18.640 that is helped me grow in the mock trial. Let's 0:06:18.680 --> 0:06:22.440 think about what we can do today for the task 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:26.760 at hand. Again, I'm just mesmerized by this because we 0:06:26.839 --> 0:06:30.520 talked so much about the endgame, and we don't always 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:33.640 spend as much time talking about how the doing the 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:38.320 things that we need to do to get there. What's 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:42.640 the most important lesson you take away from having coach 0:06:42.720 --> 0:06:47.320 Adria and having been on this team, this kim Bro 0:06:48.560 --> 0:06:52.599 has she has been very influential in my life. She's 0:06:52.640 --> 0:06:54.480 what the old people will say, she's a ram in 0:06:54.520 --> 0:06:58.760 the bush, like she's always there. She's very much behind 0:06:58.800 --> 0:07:01.640 the scenes. She's the person you know who's looking out 0:07:01.680 --> 0:07:03.400 for you when you think nobody's looking out for you. 0:07:04.800 --> 0:07:09.760 But I would say the most important lesson I got 0:07:09.840 --> 0:07:16.040 from Ms Kimbro was really like, never to doubt myself. 0:07:17.560 --> 0:07:20.840 So I'm thinking perhaps maybe let's do something a little 0:07:20.880 --> 0:07:23.960 different this year, like maybe we don't talk as much, 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:26.840 and let's be clear the goal is the same, but 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:31.640 instead taking that same energy and focusing it on what 0:07:31.680 --> 0:07:34.800 we're doing right now. What are we doing in this practice, 0:07:34.920 --> 0:07:36.720 this boot camp, what are we gonna be doing on 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:41.360 Monday at practice. As far as I know, Dillard is 0:07:41.400 --> 0:07:44.200 the only HBCU other than Howard who has made it 0:07:44.240 --> 0:07:48.560 to an opening round championship UM. And so I'm hopeful 0:07:49.160 --> 0:07:53.760 that there will be more teams, more HBCUs that will 0:07:53.840 --> 0:07:57.480 consider mock trial teams because I think it's a great activity. 0:07:58.000 --> 0:08:02.720 More Over, it's rare for us to see teams that 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:07.120 have African American students on the teams, even from other institutions. 0:08:07.480 --> 0:08:11.200 It's just not something that we see very often. And 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:14.080 you know, we could espouse all the reasons why that 0:08:14.200 --> 0:08:18.760 might be, but certainly it makes for a learning experience 0:08:18.800 --> 0:08:21.440 in a different kind of way for our students because 0:08:21.840 --> 0:08:25.520 they're often in these spaces where they are competing with 0:08:25.640 --> 0:08:32.400 and competing against students who are from different backgrounds, both racially, ethnically, geographically, 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.640 and otherwise. Do you think that you're preparing them in 0:08:36.679 --> 0:08:40.400 some way by managing expectations Because I'm a practicing attorney 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.840 trial lawyer. You're a practicing attorney, and so you and 0:08:43.880 --> 0:08:47.480 I've been into the courtrooms we as in women and 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:51.040 women of color are most certainly still the minority in 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:53.400 the legal profession. So do you think you're kind of 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:56.680 preparing them, like managing their expectations about what to expect 0:08:57.000 --> 0:09:01.360 because the percentage is woefully low for people of color 0:09:01.440 --> 0:09:05.920 in the liqual professional. Absolutely. I always remind them, I'm like, 0:09:06.120 --> 0:09:09.200 this is what it's gonna be, guys, this is it You. 0:09:09.280 --> 0:09:11.320 At least you have the community of being on the 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.800 team with people who have similar experiences. You will be 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:19.040 the only one. Every place that I have ever practiced, 0:09:19.160 --> 0:09:21.520 I have been the only one. Most of my practice 0:09:21.559 --> 0:09:25.720 has been. UM in federal court, there's I mean, there's 0:09:25.760 --> 0:09:29.480 no women period like any color. And if you find one, 0:09:29.559 --> 0:09:33.080 I mean to see another black woman. Even in places 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:37.040 in the South where you have, you know, larger concentrations 0:09:37.040 --> 0:09:39.640 of black people. Um, you would think there may be 0:09:39.760 --> 0:09:42.840 some diversity showing up in in certain spaces, and it 0:09:42.880 --> 0:09:46.560 is not. And so I just remind them, like, this 0:09:46.640 --> 0:09:49.240 is what it's going to be. I think that's important. 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:50.880 I mean, it kind of goes back to the point 0:09:50.880 --> 0:09:54.680 I made earlier about you know, believing that you number one, 0:09:54.960 --> 0:09:57.280 deserved to be at the table and number two that 0:09:57.400 --> 0:10:02.040 you can compete. And that to me is what being 0:10:02.160 --> 0:10:06.440 a part of being upon this team means. I do 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.080 feel as if New Orleans raised me in some sense. 0:10:09.200 --> 0:10:11.240 You know, some people call this the city of Sin, 0:10:11.440 --> 0:10:14.319 people say it's Las Vegas with regardless, you know, there's 0:10:14.360 --> 0:10:17.560 so much here that New Orleans has to offer, and 0:10:17.880 --> 0:10:20.480 when you feel the city, there's a different kind of 0:10:20.520 --> 0:10:24.360 power and connection that you have here. UM. So this 0:10:24.480 --> 0:10:28.360 is the Gentilly area. You will find that many hbc 0:10:28.559 --> 0:10:32.400 s across the country are in quote unquote hoods Um 0:10:32.440 --> 0:10:35.480 Howard is a good example. Dial It is a good example. 0:10:35.679 --> 0:10:37.600 So there are sometimes when we're on campus, he maybe 0:10:37.600 --> 0:10:40.959 a gunshot. There are some students who don't feel as safe. 0:10:41.000 --> 0:10:42.839 But then you have students like me who are more 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.360 than willing to, you know, be like, hey, I got you, 0:10:45.480 --> 0:11:02.920 welcome with me, come with many things like that. At 0:11:02.960 --> 0:11:06.600 the very beginning, I knew very little. I knew nothing 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:09.559 about I mean, the Dealer montrial team is the first 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:12.520 and only team I've ever coached. I did not do 0:11:12.720 --> 0:11:15.760 my trial as an undergrad, so I mean I came 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:18.800 to this just with an idea, but not with a 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:22.240 whole lot of experience. Thank God for Judge Reyes. He 0:11:22.280 --> 0:11:24.800 had done some coaching at the law school level, but 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:29.839 had never done any coaching at the undergraduate level. Okay, 0:11:30.080 --> 0:11:34.960 let's unpack that. Let's start with unfair prejudice. In this 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:39.840 particular case, we have a case of arson. And let's 0:11:39.840 --> 0:11:44.720 say there is a really graphic photograph or someone burned 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:50.319 to a crisp down to their bones where there's no 0:11:51.320 --> 0:11:56.200 human flesh left to discern because it's all charred. That 0:11:56.280 --> 0:12:02.480 sounds like a really gruesome photograph and I'm the prosecutor. 0:12:02.920 --> 0:12:05.800 I want to present this to the jury to make 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:13.520 them absolutely hate the defendant. And so that first year 0:12:13.840 --> 0:12:19.080 we went to competition, I was like, oh, we miss this, this, this, this, 0:12:19.320 --> 0:12:22.599 So the whole time I was taking notes like, Okay, 0:12:22.880 --> 0:12:27.800 I'm watching, I'm observing. So, Renee, what's your objection to 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:30.840 this photographs? Objection you're on a more prejudicial and providence 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:35.120 and why is that? Because the probity value of this 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:40.760 picture it will inflame and mislead the jury. They Adria 0:12:41.000 --> 0:12:44.400 and Judge Kern Reese play a familiar role for the 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:50.200 students their family. Adria is the devoted and sometimes demanding mom, 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:54.839 sometimes the protective big sister. And Judge Reese, well, he's 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:57.760 that wise old owl of an uncle who wears a 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:01.000 sweater and comfortable shoes on his days off from Civil 0:13:01.040 --> 0:13:05.439 District Court in Orleans Parish. And it's appealed to prejudice 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:11.320 versus reason, and Michelleton wish your response to them together, 0:13:11.840 --> 0:13:14.280 they don't get rattled and they hold their team to 0:13:14.559 --> 0:13:18.839 high standards. Just drawing upon experience as a trial litigator, 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:23.160 you always have to be able to maintain your composure. 0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:26.400 There will be times when people will shock you. There 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:29.000 will be times when people will anger you. There will 0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:34.720 be times when cases can get unbelievably sad and you 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:38.240 run through the range of human emotion. But you always 0:13:38.240 --> 0:13:40.520 have to be a professional, and that's what I stressed 0:13:40.520 --> 0:13:43.520 with them, And you always have to be prepared to 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:48.120 go forward. Something I tell lawyers and go it all 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.400 the time. I don't tell you how to prove your case. 0:13:51.120 --> 0:13:53.760 I just tell you it. Put your case on. Now. 0:13:53.800 --> 0:13:57.600 If you think that the testimony of the carna it's 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:00.160 sufficient to carry your burden of proof, which is roof 0:14:00.200 --> 0:14:04.320 beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal case, then you 0:14:04.320 --> 0:14:07.480 don't need the picture. But if you want to die, 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:10.920 all the eyes and cross all the teas, and if 0:14:10.920 --> 0:14:14.360 the judge doesn't let it in, but at least I 0:14:14.400 --> 0:14:17.880 put on my case to try to establish that I 0:14:17.920 --> 0:14:20.680 have the testimony of the card and I have a 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.600 picture of the person who died, and the jury had 0:14:23.640 --> 0:14:26.280 the benefit of that to come to their decision, and 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:28.560 I will have done everything that I could do to 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:35.440 prove my case. Dillard, like more than six hundred undergraduate 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:38.920 mock trial teams across the country will be competing in 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:43.280 the American Mock Trial Association's tournament. The team will practice 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:49.720 and try the same exact case for the next eight months, competing, refining, 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:53.720 racking up points that will hopefully lead to a birth 0:14:53.840 --> 0:14:59.840 at the national Championship in April. Amya, you mentioned that 0:14:59.840 --> 0:15:02.840 you're the captain of this team. Can you briefly tell 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:08.560 me what is this mock case? What is this trial 0:15:08.680 --> 0:15:10.560 that you guys are going to be doing at regionals, 0:15:10.600 --> 0:15:13.200 and what role are you going to play? So this 0:15:13.280 --> 0:15:17.240 is an aggravated arson case. We have a defendant who 0:15:17.520 --> 0:15:20.160 had spent about a year and a half building up 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:25.040 this bar that he got ownership of, and with COVID happening, 0:15:25.240 --> 0:15:29.680 with people leaving or just the people in the community 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:31.960 not responding well to the changes that he was making, 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.920 he started losing money and wasn't able to pay back 0:15:34.960 --> 0:15:37.160 a one million dollar loan that he took out from 0:15:37.200 --> 0:15:40.040 the bank to make those renovations to the bar. He 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.280 had until you know, August first to pay back that 0:15:43.400 --> 0:15:46.440 loan or payback a portion of that loan, and he couldn't. 0:15:46.480 --> 0:15:49.080 But he knew that he had a fire insurance policy 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:52.240 worth one point five million dollars that would cover the 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:55.480 cost so the case is about whether or not he 0:15:55.560 --> 0:15:58.640 did this and what his motive would have been. I 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:02.280 am the closing at Ernie who directs and crosses the 0:16:02.400 --> 0:16:06.000 experts on the prosecution side, and then on defense, I 0:16:06.120 --> 0:16:09.960 actually direct La Jane as both an expert and a 0:16:10.080 --> 0:16:12.920 character witness, and I crossed an expert on that side 0:16:12.920 --> 0:16:16.160 as well. So to be clear, everybody on the team 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.200 has to be prepared to switch hats and work as 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:27.320 a prosecutor or a defense attorneys. That right. Yes. The 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:30.720 roots of what is now called Dillard University date back 0:16:30.760 --> 0:16:33.640 to the end of the Civil War. The school was 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:37.840 founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church and the American Missionary 0:16:37.880 --> 0:16:43.200 Association in New Orleans. The school was known as Straight University, 0:16:43.240 --> 0:16:45.800 and in eighteen seventy five, towards the end of the 0:16:45.840 --> 0:16:50.360 reconstruction era, had its own law school. Walter Kimborough President 0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:54.480 Deala University of New Orleans. Part of the historic legacy 0:16:54.600 --> 0:16:59.400 of Dealer University, one of the precursor institutions Straight University. 0:16:59.560 --> 0:17:02.880 Two of the graduates were behind a plus versus Ferguson. Okay, 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:06.280 so that's just a part of this institution that addressed 0:17:06.280 --> 0:17:11.919 those kinds of issues of racial justice. In eight Plusy 0:17:12.040 --> 0:17:15.160 versus Ferguson was brought before the United States Supreme Court. 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:18.960 Homer Plusy was from New Orleans. He was arrested in 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.359 an act of civil disobedience he refused to sit in 0:17:22.400 --> 0:17:26.160 a separate train car for black passengers. It was an 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:30.800 action that could have easily gotten him lynched. Graduates from 0:17:30.800 --> 0:17:34.560 Straight University formed a citizens committee to fight the case, 0:17:34.880 --> 0:17:37.760 and they hired white attorneys who argued that this law 0:17:37.880 --> 0:17:41.480 and others like it, implied that black people were inherently 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.600 inferior and were second class citizens. They lost that case 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.200 by a vote of seven to one. The court's decision 0:17:50.400 --> 0:17:54.320 upheld the so called Separate but Equal doctrine, which cleared 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:58.040 the path for racist politicians to enact vile and de 0:17:58.200 --> 0:18:02.480 meeting segregationist policy known as the gym Crow Laws throughout 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:06.720 the South. Yet and bid these hardships the plus The 0:18:06.840 --> 0:18:11.919 decision inspired generations of African American attorneys to fight for 0:18:12.080 --> 0:18:16.760 racial and social justice. I'm the daughter of civil rights 0:18:16.800 --> 0:18:21.720 generation parents. I grew up in Mobile, Alabama. It is 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:25.040 the home of the last slaveship that was illegally brought 0:18:25.080 --> 0:18:28.239 to this nation. It is also the home of the 0:18:28.359 --> 0:18:32.240 last reported clan lynching of Michael Donald in the eighties. 0:18:32.920 --> 0:18:35.280 There were things that were happening in the community that 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.800 I grew up in and that just didn't feel right, 0:18:38.000 --> 0:18:40.399 and I wanted to find a way to be a 0:18:40.440 --> 0:18:44.919 part of that solution. I think when the legal profession 0:18:45.080 --> 0:18:49.640 and the judiciary starts to look more like the nation, 0:18:50.320 --> 0:18:54.800 we may see different outcomes. The separate but equal law 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:58.920 was overturned in nineteen fifty four in the Brown versus 0:18:58.960 --> 0:19:02.360 Board of Education case, a case argued by Chief Counsel 0:19:02.560 --> 0:19:06.280 through Good Marshal. Shortly afternoon, Earl war On, the Chief 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:09.280 Justice of the United States, began to read a unanimous 0:19:09.320 --> 0:19:13.240 opinion of the Supreme Court ruling in five cases in 0:19:13.240 --> 0:19:15.600 which five Negro children sought the right to go to 0:19:15.640 --> 0:19:19.480 the same schools as white children. The Cartes said separate 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:24.920 educational facilities are inherently unequal. We do believe that this 0:19:25.040 --> 0:19:29.399 decision in itself will encourage the people to take further 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:33.959 steps with our litigation in miniats. By that time, Dillard 0:19:34.040 --> 0:19:37.680 University no longer offered a law degree, but the pre 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:41.119 law program and its relatively new mock trial team is 0:19:41.160 --> 0:19:44.159 a vital part of the university's mission, so that the 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:47.719 history is I think very important, and I think there 0:19:47.760 --> 0:19:49.480 are things that I've tried to do to make sure 0:19:49.520 --> 0:19:53.160 that we can make their history living. So, for example, 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:55.639 doing the pre law for a ram to me is 0:19:55.920 --> 0:19:59.440 a living way to remember what happened is straight. I 0:19:59.480 --> 0:20:02.720 can always and reference it right back to straight to say, 0:20:02.760 --> 0:20:05.199 we had a law school, we had these folks who 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:08.119 were involved in place versus ferguson, So that becomes a 0:20:08.280 --> 0:20:11.200 natural linkage for us. So I look for those kind 0:20:11.240 --> 0:20:13.680 of ways of saying, how do we remember our history 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:17.120 in a modern sense and move forward with it today. 0:20:17.240 --> 0:20:19.240 So if you didn't get rules of evidence, there's some 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:21.919 on the back table in the mock trial room. They 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:23.959 should be already whole punched. You can add it to 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:29.160 your finder. We're gonna go through these and then um 0:20:29.200 --> 0:20:32.200 the lovely lodging they Shelton has some examples for us, 0:20:32.840 --> 0:20:36.240 I think on relevancy. Yes, yes, yes, has some examples. 0:20:36.280 --> 0:20:38.800 I would argue some of our students if they went 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:41.919 other places. First of all, they wouldn't even have this opportunity. 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:45.399 They wouldn't know it existed. They might not feel comfortable 0:20:45.480 --> 0:20:47.760 to be on the team. So they've gotten the raw skills. 0:20:47.840 --> 0:20:51.000 But then I think there's a level of confidence building 0:20:51.040 --> 0:20:53.640 that's being done because it's you know, to tell them 0:20:53.680 --> 0:20:57.240 that you can compete on this stage and any other 0:20:57.280 --> 0:21:05.520 questions about Canary travel weekend. Okay, how some time to 0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:11.080 do I have here? I use that sup but like yes, yes, well, 0:21:11.119 --> 0:21:13.320 I mean we can talk more about it, but I 0:21:13.359 --> 0:21:17.120 think that's prefer Yeah, there maybe some variation that could work, 0:21:17.280 --> 0:21:20.960 but the suit is beautifore. We'll make sure that you're 0:21:21.080 --> 0:21:25.119 appropriately attire so you feel comfortable because we're sevent pelgra 0:21:25.160 --> 0:21:29.040 and eligible students, So we have students who literally they 0:21:29.040 --> 0:21:31.159 don't have a suit to compete in it, and Andrean 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:33.480 has given students her suits so they would have something 0:21:33.520 --> 0:21:36.680 appropriate to compete in. Once we bring out of the groups, 0:21:36.720 --> 0:21:40.720 I'm gonna go get the my trial closet, so I 0:21:40.760 --> 0:21:42.840 don't bring that in here for folks to take a 0:21:42.840 --> 0:21:47.800 look at, Renee. Did you touch real quick on? Colors 0:21:47.840 --> 0:21:51.560 of suit? Very acceptable? And colors are like undershirt or 0:21:51.560 --> 0:21:54.359 like you know, lass and stuff. Yeah, I mean I 0:21:54.400 --> 0:21:59.200 think dark color is the best. You know, black blue, gray, 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:03.360 I always say outside of it, So I mean it's 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:05.440 all of those things that would have been barriers other 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:07.560 places that they like, I can't be on this team, 0:22:07.560 --> 0:22:10.520 I don't have the ability to go. Or do we 0:22:10.640 --> 0:22:13.080 take care of all those barriers so that they can 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:16.600 really focus on developing the craft. And I think that's 0:22:16.640 --> 0:22:18.639 that becomes the value added for them to be at 0:22:18.640 --> 0:22:29.160 a place like building. So I look at several lawyers 0:22:29.200 --> 0:22:32.800 throughout history. Of course, just the third good Marshal. He 0:22:32.880 --> 0:22:36.399 was an outful man, very powerful man in terms of politics, 0:22:36.400 --> 0:22:39.040 even in the church. So he is of course one 0:22:39.080 --> 0:22:41.399 of the main lawyers I look up to, especially because 0:22:41.440 --> 0:22:45.520 of his profound speech, especially when it came to giving arguments, 0:22:46.119 --> 0:22:49.000 very profound a speaking, especially in court. Then of course 0:22:49.040 --> 0:22:52.919 you have Johnny Cochrane. I do look up to him. 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:55.560 He is the quintessential lawyer in terms of you know, 0:22:55.840 --> 0:23:00.520 defense and suave while doing you'll learn ms kimbro It 0:23:00.600 --> 0:23:02.919 will the sport of Maxstrow doesn't really allow for that 0:23:03.000 --> 0:23:06.480 kind of comfort from black people unfortunately. But Johnny Carker 0:23:06.600 --> 0:23:08.639 was the type person he go up say what he 0:23:08.680 --> 0:23:10.679 had to say, sit back down on and people be 0:23:10.720 --> 0:23:17.320 like WHOA, Like, oh my gosh, exactly, Hello, could you 0:23:17.400 --> 0:23:22.720 transfer me to the office of Senator Maria Cantwell, thank you. Hello. 0:23:23.119 --> 0:23:25.720 My name is Walter Dixon the fourth. Can you transfer 0:23:25.800 --> 0:23:29.080 me to Senator Corey Pooker. I'm calling today to act 0:23:29.160 --> 0:23:32.959 that you support h R thirty two nine four s 0:23:34.480 --> 0:23:39.440 Ignite HBCU Excellence Act. As an HPCU student, this bill 0:23:39.480 --> 0:23:44.200 will enhance the experience of me and my classmates on campus. Additionally, 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:48.280 the Ignite HBCU Excellence Act will be a critical step 0:23:48.440 --> 0:23:52.240 to bringing HBCU buildings and research facilities up to date 0:23:52.480 --> 0:23:56.480 and provide the dynamic talented And how are y'all doing? 0:23:57.640 --> 0:24:02.840 Very good? How are you? How are the calls going good? 0:24:03.480 --> 0:24:05.840 I've been able to really get to speak to any 0:24:05.920 --> 0:24:08.919 senators directly, but we have so today we're having a 0:24:09.200 --> 0:24:13.000 joint UM text and phone banking event UM where the 0:24:13.000 --> 0:24:16.240 senors are going to be contacting senators and representatives in 0:24:16.320 --> 0:24:19.680 support of the HBCU Ignite at UM, which is going 0:24:19.800 --> 0:24:24.840 to help provide key infrastructure repair and needs for hbc 0:24:25.000 --> 0:24:28.400 USE nation wide. Your face, y'all want to do that? 0:24:28.520 --> 0:24:30.399 Like you don't have to do it today, but maybe 0:24:30.400 --> 0:24:34.200 like I can create a zoom. Hey, I'm Caitlin Douglas. 0:24:34.400 --> 0:24:39.600 I am a transfer student. Um. I am twenty seven 0:24:39.680 --> 0:24:44.280 years old. I am technically a sophomore, but a junior. 0:24:45.359 --> 0:24:48.359 This is my first semestery Dealard. I joined the martial 0:24:48.440 --> 0:24:52.159 team because I'm a strategic thinker. I'm a logical person, 0:24:52.560 --> 0:24:57.320 and I said, what would help me socialize? Help me 0:24:57.440 --> 0:25:01.560 learn the environment of Dealer. So I do a lot 0:25:01.600 --> 0:25:05.560 of student engagement. Dealer students are brilliant. They're very intelligent, 0:25:05.840 --> 0:25:10.359 very smart, very mature. They keep their ear to the 0:25:10.400 --> 0:25:12.280 ground of what's going on at the other campuses. To 0:25:13.080 --> 0:25:16.720 y'all know Howard's protesting. We know Tuskegeees protesting too. I 0:25:16.760 --> 0:25:20.840 don't know if y'all need Let's figure out these HBCUs 0:25:20.880 --> 0:25:23.880 that are really vocal about the conditions at their schools 0:25:24.119 --> 0:25:27.440 and see if we can connect with them and amplify 0:25:27.520 --> 0:25:32.720 it and do like a like a video. I am 0:25:32.760 --> 0:25:36.919 heavily involved in activism back home in Streeport, Louisiana. After 0:25:37.760 --> 0:25:43.000