BLSA Member Travis Sumter Becomes the First Law Student to Receive the Florida Attorney General's 2010 Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes exemplary performance in the areas of employee innovation, public service, significant accomplishment, customer service, teamwork or through an external awards program. Travis was recognized for his outstanding performance as an intern in the Employment Litigation where he demonstrated outstanding knowledge, skills and abilities and "exceeded everyone's expectations in every category of professional and personal conduct by a large margin."

Congratulations Travis!!!

BLSA Takes Strides to Benefit AIDS Outreach

On October 23, 2010, BLSA teamed up with the Lambda Legal Society to participate in the 2010 First Coast AIDS Walk. Event organizers reported that more than 500 walkers participated and that more than $7,000 was raised by sponsors.

Photograph and Write Up by James Burton

BLSA Week 2010: Attorney Panel

BLSA kicked off day 4 of BLSA Week 2010 by hosting an attorney panel consisting of attorneys Diana Johnson, Tiny Cox, Ranaldo Allen, Alexis Sykes and FCSL Associate Professor Roger Groves. The members of the panel inspired students by addressing the struggles that they faced in their academic and professional careers and how they overcame those struggles to become successful in their respective practices.

Photograph & Write Up by James Burton

BLSA Week 2010: James Weldon Johnson Middle School

For day five of BLSA Week, BLSA members Jaimee McDowell, Chantal Kai-Lewis, George Odom, Oya Gbemi and James Burton spoke with students during their lunch periods at James Weldon Johnson Middle School in Jacksonville about law school and the legal profession. No questions were off limits as the students learned what each BLSA member did to prepare for law school and what the law school experience is like.

Photograph and Write-Up by James Burton

BLSA Week 2010: Coastal Cabaret

BLSA's Coastal Cabaret proved to be a hit among students as the kickoff event for BLSA Week 2010 at Florida Coastal School of Law. Students from all backgrounds came out to demonstrate their talents on the open stage with musical performances, comedy, creative dances and poetry. BLSA members also told the audience about historic leaders in the black legal community including James Weldon Johnson and D.W. Perkins.

Photograph & Write Up By: James K. Burton

BLSA Week 2010: A Legacy of Empowerment!

It's finally here! Florida Coastal's Black Law Students Association invites its members and the entire FCSL family to join it as it celebrates BLSA Week 2010!

Coastal Caberet: Monday, October 4, 2010

7:00 p.m. - FCSL Atrium

Come out and see FCSL's talent at its best. If you sing, dance, write poetry, etc., you are encouraged to participate.

BLSA Movie Night - October 5, 2010

7:00 p.m. - Room 585

Join BLSA for a viewing of the movie Invictus. Bring your friends! Light refreshments will be served.

Southern Hospitality - October 6, 2010

11 a.m. to 2 p.m. - FCSL Atrium

Come out and get your grub on at BLSA's Southern Hospitality fundraiser. Meals are only $7, include drinks and go to benefit a wonderful cause!

Attorney Panel - October 7, 2010

12:15 to 1 p.m. - Room 585

BLSA will facilitate a question and answer hour with practicing attorneys and law professors. The panel will share their stories of overcoming obstacles in their legal careers.

Community Service - October 8, 2010

10:30 a.m. - James Weldon Johnson Middle School

BLSA members will be hosting a table at James Weldon Johnson Middle School where they will answer questions from students during their lunch breaks.

Skate Social - October 8, 2010

7:30 p.m. - Skate Station Fun Works

Come join BLSA for a night of fun and skating!

Florida Coastal BLSA Recognized for Census Efforts

The United States Census Bureau has recognized and awarded Florida Coastal's Black Law Students Association with a plaque of appreciation for its participation in the 2010 Census efforts during the 2009-2010 school year.

The Census Bureau applauds our commitment in motivating our community to stand up and be counted to make sure that the residents in our community accurately reflect the 2010 Portrait of America.

Many thanks to all of the BLSA members who volunteered their time and resources to the 2010 Census last year.

Our community service efforts will have a lasting impact on the community for years to come!

Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference

Florida Coastal BLSA members are invited and encouraged to join NBLSA in Washington, D.C. for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference. The Conference will be held from September 15-18, 2010.

Visit www.nblsa.org/cbc for the CBC agenda and for information regarding registration, travel and hotel accommodations.

See you in Washington D.C.!!

Three BLSA Members Make FCSL Law Review

Congratulations to BLSA Members Rashida Coulthurst, Tier Brown and Jonathan Northington for making the 2010 Florida Coastal Law Review.

BLSA is proud of your success!!!!

Two Florida Coastal BLSA Members Receive Virgil Hawkins Justice Foundation Florida's First Scholarships

The Virgil Hawkins Justice Foundation recently awarded $15,000 in Florida's First Scholarships to minority law students statewide in furtherance of the motto "Supporting Access, Justice, and Diversity in the Legal Profession. BLSA members Cyntoria Johnson (2010 Graduate) and Daphne Shaw (2L) were awarded a $2,500 bar review scholarship and a $5,000 Florida's First scholarship, respectively.

Scholarship recipients were chosen by their extracurricular and community involvement; academic achievements; a personal statement; and financial need.

You can read the entire story in the July 15, 2010 edition of The Florida Bar News here:

https://www.floridabar.org/__85256aa9005b9f25.nsf/0/e265eddea0d5649b8525775a0074cfe6!OpenDocument&Click=

Congratulations!!!

BLSA News!!

Greetings BLSA!!

Some great news to start off Spring Break:

As you know, our FCSL BLSA Mock Trial Team won 2nd place in the

National BLSA Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition this weekend in Boston, Massachussetts at the 42nd annual NBLSA National Convention.

Adrianne Irish won the "Best Advocate" Award.

Congratulations to Adrianne Irish, Jaimee McDowell, Ruby Green and Clarence Sydnor for a great performance by all, and a special thank you to their great and dedicated coach, Professor Lois Ragsdale. This is quite an accomplishment for Florida Coastal School of Law, as this team beat one Harvard team (twice) on their way to the finals where they took second place to the second Harvard team.

Also, NBLSA hands out over $10,000 in scholarships every year, and this year 3 of our students won a scholarship:

Stephanie Idio was awarded the Nelson Mandela Scholarship (worth $500)

Rashida Coulhurst was awarded the Nelson Mandela and Sandy Brown Scholarships (each worth $500)

Julia Latimer was awarded the Rodney Pulliam Memorial Scholarship (worth $500)

Furthermore, our school was specially recognized for our contribution to

NBLSA's Letter Writing Campaign.

Join me in a round of Congratulations to everyone and have a safe and sunny Spring Break!!

THANK YOU!!

Last night we ended Black History Month on a moving and inspiring note at the Closing Ceremony. On behalf of the Executive Board, I just wanted to take the time to thank all of the people who worked and contributed to make Black History Month possible, we could not have done it without you, and we appreciate you giving your time, talents, energy and support!

I am especially impressed and inspired by 1L's Carolyn Martin, Kimberle Henry, Stephanie Idio, Nakeshia Hawkins and Marcus Johnson who have given their time and effort to make the opening and closing ceremonies and the Black History facts during the month of February so memorable!

For those who did not attend the closing ceremony last night, you missed a wonderful treat! I will upload and share pictures on the blog and Facebook (sometime this week) displaying all of the activities we had this month, as we accomplished a lot.

Again, very special thanks to the following individuals, in no particular order:

Carolyn Martin

Kimberle Henry

Shonta McCord

Marcus Johnson

Nakeshia Hawkins

Candes Prewitt

Angel Jackson

Jennifer McCarthy

Stephanie Idio

JaQuilla Coleman

Chris Kelly

Lonnesse Williams

Da Annointed Crew

Poet Eric (from Jax Youth Poetry Slam)

Dean Donald Jones

Professor Cleveland Ferguson

Dean Thomas Taggart

Black History Month Closing Ceremony

We will be hosting our Black History Month Closing Ceremony on

Sunday, February 28th from 4pm to 6pm in the Atrium.

The ceremony will feature art by David Williams, singing by Da Annointed Crew, poetry by

Jax Youth Slam Team, and guest speaker Professor Cleveland Ferguson!

Appetizers will be served!

Dress is "Sunday's Best" but feel free to come as you are!

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend!

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or Nakeshia Hawkins.

Hope to see you there!

WLSA Chili Cook-Off

The Women's Law Student Association (WLSA)

is having its Annual Chili Cook-Off tomorrow,

February 24th in the Atrium from 11am-1pm.

For $5, you may sample a variety chili from each organization, including BLSA.

Proceeds from the Cook-Off will go to Charity. Come out and enjoy some chili for a great cause!

Lyricist Lounge

It's that time of year again! FCSL's Lyricist Lounge will be held on

Thursday, February 25th from 6-9pm in the Atrium during DIVERSITY WEEK.

Come out and enjoy an evening of entertainment while performers share their talents with the FCSL community!
Please contact Dagmawi Adane if you would like to perform, or have any questions about the event.

BLSA Alumni BBQ

Our Alumni BBQ will be held on Saturday, February 27th from 3-7pm on the FCSL back deck.

If you are a FCSL Alumn or know an FCSL Alumn, join us for an afternoon of fellowship and great food!

Diversity Week

Next week is DIVERSITY WEEK here at Florida Coastal!

MONDAY

Speaker: Charlene Taylor Hill of Jacksonville Human Rights

12:00 pm- 1:00 pm

TUESDAY

World Fair

Sample Dishes and enjoy cultural displays from around the world!

FCSL Atrium

11:30 am - 1:30 pm

WEDNESDAY

Chili Cook Off with WLSA

For $5, sample a variety of Chili made by different student organizations

FCSL Atrium 11:00 am- 1:00 pm

If you would like to make Chili to be entered into the contest, please contact Adrianne Irish as soon as possible.

&

Hot Dog Wednesday with Jewish Law Students Association & Society of Islamic Law

FCSL Atrium/Deck

4:00 pm- 6:00 pm

THURSDAY

Intercontinental Benefit Breakfast

Feed Haiti Theme, members of the Coastal Law community can bring canned goods for free breakfast or pay $2

All money raised will be donated to UNICEF

FCSL Atrium, 8:00 am-10:00 am

&

Lyricist Lounge with BLSA

FCSL Atrium, 6:00 pm- 9:00pm

FRIDAY

Movie: Crash

Popcorn and candy will be served

FCSL Room TBA

7:00 pm- 9:00 pm

Join us this week and celebrate DIVERSITY!

Annual S.O.U.L Event

BLSA Ladies,

On Saturday, February 20, 2010 we will celebrate our

Annual S.O.U.L.

(Sisters Of Florida Coastal United in Law) event at

P.F. Chang's China Bistro,

located in the St. John's Towncenter at 6:30 p.m.

If you plan to attend please RSVP to Karchona Johnson no later than Friday, February 19, 2010 by 5:00 p.m. Please be reminded that in order to receive your FREE DINNER, you must RSVP by the deadline. No exceptions.

We look forward to sharing this sisterhood bond with each and every one of you!

Congratulations, Julia Latimer!!

Please congratulate our

Chaplain Julia Latimer

on winning the

Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association Name Contest

for their newsletter.

The newsletter will now be called

"Legal Leaflets of Legacy: The Hawkins Herald

Informative, Inspiring....It's All Inside"

Julia won a free copy of the Florida First Black Lawyers and a $100 American Express gift card.

She will be honored at the Florida Conference of Black Legislators 2010 Gala Celebration on Friday, March 19, 2010 in Tallahassee, FL.

FOOD FOR THE SOUL

A Friendly Reminder that next

Wednesday, February 17th from 11am-1pm

we will have our "Food for the Soul" Fundraiser in the Atrium.

We still need volunteers to make a dish for this event, so if you would like to contribute a dish, please email Ruby Green or Karchona Johnson. You may check your FCSL email for a list of food ideas, or Ruby and/or Karchona will let you know which items are still needed. 
Also, please come out and enjoy some great food!!
Prices are $6.00 per plate, or $6.50 for a plate w/ drink.

This event is for everyone, and we encourage ALL of you to join us!

Affirmative Action/Racism Panel at FCSL

We had a great turnout and wonderful discussion during yesterday's Affirmative Action Panel.

Many thanks to our panelists Professor Kenneth Nunn and Professor Zanita Fenton who traveled to be with us, and our guests who contributed to a very informative and enlightening discussion!

BLSA Meeting Next Week-Guest Speaker Rodney Hurst

BLSA Family,

Our next General Body meeting will be held on

Thursday, February 18th from Noon - 1:15 pm in FCSL Room 455.

We will have a very special Guest Speaker

Rodney Hurst

Edward Waters College Alum and Award-Winning author of

"It was Never About a Hot Dog and a Coke",

where Hurst gives his personal account of the 1960 sit-ins right here in Jacksonville and Ax Handle Saturday.

Below is an excerpt from Mr. Hurst's website:"I want to share with you a facet of Jacksonville's history very few are willing to discuss, let alone embrace. Although its darkness may give Jacksonville's reputation a black eye, the eye-opening details, when synthesized, provide a remarkable history worth telling.

The peaceful protests of teenagers who dared to challenge segregated white lunch counters is not a myth or an urban legend. Nor is the attack by more than 200 whites with baseball bats and ax handles on 34 Black NAACP Youth Council members on August 27, 1960.
Today's generation must understand the circumstances and the times that led to this racially explosive and violent day in Jacksonville's history. Regardless of what you have heard or seen about sit-in demonstrations, it was never about eating a hot dog and drinking a Coke! It was always about human dignity and respect."
The Struggle Continues…Rodney L. Hurst, Sr.
Please visit Mr. Hurst's website at http://www.rodneyhurst.com/ for more information.

We strongly encourage you to join us for what we anticipate will be an afternoon of fellowship and learning!

As Always, LUNCH WILL BE SERVED! :)

Racism Panel at FCSL this Thursday

BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION and

THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY PRESENT:

The State of Racism in 2010

Topic: Are We Living in a Post Racial America?

Date: Thursday, Feb 11, 2010 from 12:00 pm-1:15 pm

Location: FCSL Room 250 (changed from 455)

Special Guest Speakers:

Professor Kenneth Nunn, Professor Zanita Fenton and Mr. Roger Clegg

LUNCH Will Be Served!

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend! Please join us for what will be a great discussion!

Post-Racial America: Are You Kidding Me?

The Jacksonville Human Rights Commission
will sponsor a great event that will discuss race relations after the election of our first

African- American President.

An Evening with Dr. Andrew Manis

Associate Professor at Macon State College

Keynote Speech: "Post-Racial America: Are You Kidding Me?"

When: Thursday, February 18, 2010

6:00pm Reception, 7:00 pm, Keynote Speaker

Where: WJCT Public Broadcasting Studios

100 Festival Park Ave.

This is a great networking opportunity for BLSA members and everyone is encouraged to attend!

Also, this is a catered, FREE event!

Please RSVP to 904-630-4620

Questions? Please contact Mr. Travis M. Sumter

BLSA Opens Black History Month!

BHM Opening Ceremony

Black History Month is off to a WONDERFUL start!!

Our Opening Ceremony this evening was the best ever, and I want to thank my BHM Committee and Executive Board for all of their effort and support. Special thanks to Kimberle' Henry, Carolyn Martin, Stephanie Idio, JaQuilla Coleman, Candes Prewitt, Ruby Green, Dean Jones and Dean Taggart for helping to make this evening special. And last, but not least, I appreciate all of the members who came out to show their support, and I hope everyone found it enjoyable!

BHM Trivia
As part of our activities for Black History Month, we are displaying "Fun Facts in Black History" on the plasma screens throughout the school.

Many thanks to Stephanie Idio for taking the time to compile all of these facts for the month!

On each Thursday in February we will have a table set up in the Atrium where participants may answer trivia questions from those slides which will be placed in a box. We will conduct drawings at the end of each week, and the first trivia winner with all of the correct answers will receive either a gift card or special discounts from Kaplan PMBR.

Be sure to read BHM Fun Facts each day to play BHM Trivia, and tell your friends!

Lyricist's Lounge

It's that time of year again! FCSL's Lyricist's Lounge will be held on

Thursday, February 25th from 6-9pm in the Atrium during DIVERSITY WEEK.

If you sing, dance, recite poetry or play an instrument, share your talent with the FCSL Community and sign up with Dagmawi Adane. The deadline for Lyricist's Lounge sign-ups is Friday, February 19th.

If you would like to volunteer to set up or clean up for this event, please let me know.

BLSA Mock Trial Champions in Daily Record News Article

Click on the link below to read the article about our own BLSA Team MAKING HISTORY at the
Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition in Baton Rouge, La.

Congratulations again to Ruby Green, Adrianne Irish, Jaimee McDowell and Clarence Sydnor! :)

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=530162

NAACP Legal Defense Fund Summer 2010 Internship

Greetings BLSA: Here is a link and more information on this internship opportunity:
http://www.naacpldf.org/content/pdf/jobs/Internship_Summer_2010.pdf

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)* is currently accepting law
student internship applications for Summer 2010. Summer interns will be responsible for legal
research and memorandum writing, factual investigation, development of educational and
outreach material, discovery review, and/or other needs that may arise during the summer.
Intern assignments are dependent on the needs of LDF’s legal staff during the summer months.
Summer interns in the New York office will also enjoy a weekly series of brown bag luncheons
featuring prominent civil rights and public interest attorneys, attended by interns from numerous
non-profit, legal organizations in the city.

The internship positions are unpaid and limited in number. Students should seek summer
funding from their law schools and student-run public interest organizations. Although we prefer
second-year law students, exceptional first-year law students will also be considered. Interns are
expected to work for at least ten weeks during the summer, but split summers may be
accommodated on a case-by-case basis.

The New York and D.C. offices award internships independently. Applicants should send a
cover letter, resume, 5-10 page writing sample, and list of three references to the appropriate
office below. Positions will be filled on a rolling basis; we encourage applicants to apply as soon
as possible beginning October 2009, and no later than January 2010.

New York office:
Monica Garcia
Director of Human Resources
NAACP LDF
99 Hudson Street, Suite 1600
New York, NY 10013
email: jobs@naacpldf.org
website: http://www.naacpldf.org/
No phone calls please.
Washington D.C. office:
Summer Internship Coordinator
NAACP LDF

1444 Eye Street, N.W., 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
email: dfinley@naacpldf.org
website: www.naacpldf.org
No phone calls please.
LDF

Opening Ceremony for Black History Month

BLSA will hold its Black History Month Opening Ceremony on

Monday, February, 1st from 6:00 pm- 7:30 pm in the Atrium.

Our Black History Month theme this year:

"The shoulders on which we stand, their dreams propel us."

Join us for an evening of great food, entertainment, some Black history, and a preview of the exciting events we have planned for the month of February!

Suggested attire is "Sunday Best", or feel free to come as you are!

Can't wait to see you ALL there!

Mentor/Mentee Social

Join us this Friday, January 28th for our

Mentor/Mentee Social at Dave and Buster's from 6-8 pm.

This is a great opportunity for Mentees and their Mentors to get together outside of school and have a great time!

Also feel free to bring friends and family!

Hope to see you there!

Haiti Community Service Opportunity

In our efforts to support disaster relief in Haiti, BLSA will be working with Mission Harvest America this Saturday, January 23rd and next Saturday, January 30th from 7am-2pm.

If you would like to donate your time, please RSVP to Jennifer McCarthy.

 You may also visit Mission Harvest America's website at http://www.missionngo.com/ for more information.Thank you for your support!

Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum

BLSA Family,
As part of our activities for Black History Month, we are going to the Ritz Theatre on Friday, February 5th at 7pm for Amateur night, which is similar to the Amateur night at "Showtime at the Apollo".
This will be a fun night, so those who will definitely attend should RSVP to me by Monday, January 25th by 5pm to get your FREE admission!
For more information about the Ritz Theatre, please visit http://www.ritzlavilla.org/.

BLSA Meeting Tomorrow!

Our first General Body Meeting of Spring 2010 will be held tomorrow,

January 21, 2010 in Room 455 from Noon-1:00pm.

We will discuss the exciting events we have planned for the semester, including involvement with Census 2010 and Black History Month!

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. We hope to see you there!

As always, LUNCH WILL BE SERVED!

SRBLSA Law Journal Vol. IV Publication

Greetings BLSA,
Over the weekend, the SRBLSA Law Journal selected the pieces that will be published in Vol. IV of the Journal this coming April 2010. SRBLSA had a record number of submissions this year, so publication decisions were extremely tough.

Please join me in congratulating our own Travis Sumter, for being selected for publication!

SRBLSA's theme this year is "From the White House to My House: Changing the Color of Legal Discourse Through the Emergence of the Black Perspective".

The articles selected for publication are as follows:

Travis Sumter - Florida Coastal School of Law
-Move Up or Move Out: Gentrification and the Futility of the Intent Doctrine

Neubia Williams - Wake Forest University
- A Post Racial Era?: How the election of President Obama and recent Supreme Court Jurisprudence illustrate that the United States is not Beyond the Centrality of Race.

Diane Littlejohn - North Carolina Central University
- Presidential Security and Freedom of Expression in the Age of Obama.

Whitney Cherry - University of North Carolina
- Putting the Hose on the Final Flicker of Affirmative Action: Where Does the Future of Affirmative Action Lie after Ricci v. Destefano and in the Obama Era?

Elizabeth Hall - Emory University
- Criminalizing Our Youth: The School-to-Prison Pipeline v. The Constitution.

Milton Flynt - University of South Carolina
- The New Generation of Civil Rights Advocacy: The Charter School Movement in African-American Communities in the South.

Harriet Huell - University of North Carolina
- No More Hiding Money in the Mattress: An Analysis of Minority Heir Property Issues and the Necessity of Estate Planning in the African American Community.

Haiti Relief

BLSA Family,

As I am sure the catastrophe in Haiti has burdened your hearts as it has mine, I wanted to remind us of our duty as BLSA members to aid our brothers and sisters in Haiti during their time of need. In the past years, BLSA has worked on Haiti initiatives and projects, provided funds for community centers there, and collected school supplies, and without a doubt, our assistance is needed now more than ever before.

With Martin Luther King Day, and the "Day on not Day Off/Call to Service theme that usually surrounds the day, I can think of no greater cause right now that providing any help we can to those suffering in that region. I encourage everyone to link up with another BLSA member or FCSL student this holiday and find a way to contribute.

Please watch your email for the specific efforts that BLSA will be sponsoring, and if you have any suggestions, please forward them to an Executive Board member. Consider Mission Harvest, located at 69 Copeland Street, 904-356-4819 http://www.missionngo.com/. The hours of operation are M-F from 7am-7pm; Sat. 7 am- 2pm & Sun 2pm - 7 pm.

Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have loved ones in currently in Haiti.

The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sincerely,
Julia Jenae' Latimer
Candidate for Juris Doctorate, 2010
Black Law Students Association, Chaplain/Public Relations Chair
“Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and who write oppressive decrees, depriving
the needy of justice and robbing my peoples’ poor of their rights, making
widows their plunder and orphans their prey.” — Isaiah 10:1-2

SRBLSA TM Mock Trial/FD Moot Court Competitions

Our Mock Trial and Moot Court Teams SHINED during the SRBLSA/MBLSA Joint Regional Convention this past weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana:

Our Mock Trial Team members, Ruby Green, Adrianne Irish, Jaimee McDowell and Clarence Sydnor won an unprecedented FIRST PLACE (out of 20 teams) in the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition, making this win the first for Florida Coastal School of Law's Mock Trial Team!

The team will next move on to compete against other top competitors from law schools of each BLSA region in the NBLSA Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition in Boston, Massachusetts this March.

The Frederick Douglass Moot Court Team, Sharisse Campbell and Jorja Carr also placed in the top eight (out of 16) of their competition. We are proud of them!

CONGRATULATIONS to both teams, Way to represent the James Weldon Johnson Chapter and FCSL!

It's 2010!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

Let's make 2010 a great year! :)