“Voice of Justice” lecture series: Ben Crump

Westfield State University to Host Nationally Recognized Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump   

WESTFIELD, Mass.— Westfield State University’s Division of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion will host nationally recognized Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump on Tuesday, November 29, 2022, in the Scanlon Hall Banquet Room. His lecture is titled, “Justice in 2022 and Beyond” and it will serve as the inaugural presentation in the University’s new “Voice of Justice” lecture series. 

Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the lecture beginning at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. 

Listed amongst the Most Influential People of 2021 by TIME100, Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, Attorney Ben Crump is referred to as “Black America’s Attorney General.” Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Benjamin Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice, winning a number of record settlements and verdicts for victims and families that have faced injustice. He has worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, the residents of Flint, Michigan, who were affected by the poisoned water of the Flint River, as well as the family of Henrietta Lacks in a landmark reparations case. In 2021, St. Thomas University College of Law announced the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice in his honor, which will open doors for minority students pursuing law degrees. His book, published in October 2019, Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People, reflects on the landmark cases he has battled, and how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law. 

Westfield State University’s Division of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is led by Dr. LaRue Pierce. The Division sustains and carries out Westfield State University’s commitment to diversity by supporting student programs, faculty initiatives, and curricular innovations that cultivate a vibrant and multifaceted inclusive community. The Division offers programming that includes educational workshops, performances, social events with a focus on building relationships, understanding the various perspectives of others, embracing different cultures, and issues designed to address the whole campus. 

For more information, please email JEDI@westfield.ma.edu.