CONFERENCE: Thursday, December 4, 2025, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI
MOVIE: Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 6:30 p.m. at the Jane Pickens Theatre, Newport, RI
CLE: 6.5 CLE credits available
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the ratification of the landmark 13th Amendment – a defining moment in U.S. Constitutional history that officially abolished slavery and reshaped law; and an Amendment that still resonates in our courts today.
Join us for a special educational event for judges, attorneys, law clerks, legal scholars, law students, and members of the public. This engaging full-day program will feature an interactive agenda including world renowned constitutional scholars, legal historians, judicial officers, and thought-provoking panel discussions that will address the impact of the 13th Amendment on our judicial system today and the ongoing struggle for racial justice in this country. The night before, we will be showing the movie, "Who We Are."
Program Highlights include:
- Keynote address by civil rights lawyer and scholar Sherrilyn Ifill.
- Conversations on the importance of remembering slavery and the local connection to the Transatlantic slave trade.
- Powerful storytelling and historical reflection.
- Expert panel on the legal and economic legacy of the 13th Amendment.
- Opportunities for community dialogue and engagement about where we go from here.
SPONSORED BY:
U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
R.I. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
R.I. Committee on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts
R.I. Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
Flaschner Judicial Institute
Justice Harry J. Elam Judicial Conference
Brown University Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice
The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy at Salve Regina
