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News Release

Vermont Law School Presents Norman Williams Lecture on “Implications of Implicit Racial Bias for Environmental Justice”

Thursday, April 9, 2020

SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt.

Justice Anita Earls

Associate Justice Anita Earls of the North Carolina Supreme Court will discuss “Implications of Implicit Racial Bias for Environmental Justice” during Vermont Law School’s 16th annual Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Lawfrom 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. The lecture, which is free and open to the public and press, will be streamed live via webinar. 

Justice Earls will discuss the relationship between implicit racial bias in the law and the quest for environmental justice. She will refer to specific community-based environmental justice campaigns in the South to illustrate these issues, drawing from her decades of experience as a civil rights attorney and as the founder and executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, a non-profit legal advocacy organization in Durham, North Carolina.

“Justice Earls' talk comes at an important time in Vermont Law School’s history,” said Associate Dean and Environmental Law Center Director Jennifer Rushlow. “Having recently launched a new Environmental Justice Clinic and expanded our Restorative Justice program, we are emphasizing community lawyering more now than ever. We are honored to host Justice Earls to learn from her experience as a leader in the law, supporting people of color in the quest for social justice.”

The Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law series is named for Norman Williams, who came to Vermont Law School in 1975 after a long and distinguished career in public service and teaching, particularly in the area of land use planning. Professor Williams played a key role in founding the Environmental Law Center. The lecture series is a gift of Frances Yates, trustee of VLS, in memory of Professor Williams, Charles Yates JD’93, and Anya Yates JD’94.

To register for the event and learn more, visit vermontlaw.edu/williams-lecture.