Capital's BLSA Wins National Chapter of the Year Award

June 10, 2003

Capital University Law School's Black Law Students Association (BLSA) received the 2003 National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) Chapter of the Year award. Each year, NBLSA recognizes six regional BLSA chapters who have diligently served their community. The award is based on social, political, academic, educational, cultural, recreational and philanthropic programming and the degree to which a chapter positively impacts its members, university and the community.

Capital's BLSA had a successful year of programming that reached-out to both the law school and area community. The organization's community service projects included the Street Law program, Adopt-a-School program, Make a Difference Day with the Salesian Boys and Girls Club, and a clothing drive. The Street Law program matches a law student with an elementary, middle or high school class teacher to craft a program for their classroom on topics including the legislature, judiciary, and Constitution. BLSA adopted two schools this past year - The Gertrude Tyree Learning Center and Brookhaven High School. At the Learning Center, an early childhood Head Start program, BLSA members volunteered their time to present a cultural awareness program as part of the Center's Annual Black History Month program. BLSA members were invited to read African-American theme stories to the children and participated in a letter-writing campaign to encourage the continued funding of Head Start programs. At Brookhaven, BLSA members presented a workshop on consumer protection laws.

BLSA also sponsored an affirmative action debate for the Law School community in an effort to facilitate open discussion and foster mutual understanding of issues surrounding affirmative action in higher education. The debate was repeated for Capital's undergraduate campus as part of the Martin Luther King Day of Learning. During the winter, BLSA conducted a clothing drive for the homeless and collected nearly 30 bags of clothing.

The 2002-03 BLSA officers are B. Makeda Neal, President; Amir Clayton Powell, Vice President; Terri Jamison, Secretary; Shontell Walker, Treasurer. Committee chairpersons included: Veronica Lindsay, Community Service; Jarrod Skinner, Digital Yearbook; Terri Jamison, Professionalism; Shontell Walker, Fundraising; and Ali Shakoor, Martin Luther King Day. Professor Shirley Mays is the advisor to BLSA.

To learn more about Capital's BLSA, visit their web site at http://users.law.capital.edu/blsa

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