“Freedom's Journal”

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Black Law Students Association Newsletter

Freedom's Journal was the first Black owned and operated newspaper published in the United States. It provided international, national, and regional information on current events and contained editorials declaiming slavery, lynching, and other injustices. The Journal also published biographies of prominent African Americans and listings of births, deaths, and marriages in the African American community in New York. Freedom's Journal circulated in 11 states, the District of Columbia, Haiti, Europe, and Canada. It was published weekly in New York City from 1827 to 1829.

President’s Announcements

Greetings! This is the inaugural issue of the “Freedom’s Journal.” This should help to keep all of us abreast of the happenings and goings on of this fantastic organization. In the future, issues will be emailed on a bi-weekly basis. If you would like something placed in the journal please email me (rpatillo@kentlaw.edu) by the proceeding Friday. The next issue will be Monday September 17^th. I hope that this helpful and please let me know of any suggestions that you have to improve the journal.

Robert Hilliard Patillo II

President, Chicago-Kent College of Law Black Law Students Association

From Dean Soliunas

Dean Soliunas is coordination with the Circuit Court of Cook County to provide Clerkships with State Court Judges for minority students for the Spring Semester. She would like to know how many students are interested in a program such as this. Please let me know by Monday September 10^th 2007.

Please email Robert Patillo (rpatillo@kentlaw.edu) if you are interested or would like more information.

General Information:

The Chicago-Kent College of Law Black Law Students Association will be holding its first General Body Meeting on Tuesday September 11, 2007 from 12:00-12:55p.m in Room 345. A review session will be held for evening division students at 5:15 pm in Room 570.

Also, Tuesday will be BLSA picture day. If you would like to be on the BLSA website or publications, please be prepared to take pictures on Tuesday.

BLSA will hold monthly meeting on the Second Tuesday of each month. We hope that you will attend all meetings and events so that you may have a voice in shaping this organization.

BLSA Books:

In the BLSA office we have a collection of books and supplements that have been passed down through the years. To continue this, I am asking that if any of you have old books of supplements that you will not use in the future please donate them to the BLSA Book Vault.

Additionally, if you are in need of text books or supplements please email rpatillo@kentlaw.edu.

Upcoming Events:

		September 2007
Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
26)	27)	28)	29) P-A-S-S-I-N-G The BAR	30)	31)	1)
2)	3)	4)	5)	6)	7) Battle of the Bands 12pm Millennium Park	8) Chicago Football Classic 4pm Soldier Field
9)	10) 1L Liaison Nominations Due; Clerkship Information	11) General Body Meeting 12 noon - Room 345 5:15 pm - Room 570	12) Minority Reception 5-7pm, Allstar Bar and Grill	13)	14) 3^RD ANNUAL COOK COUNTY STATE’ATTORNEY’S OFFICE MINORITY RECEPTION	15)
16) Minority Group Picnic 1pm at Northwestern	17) DOJ Fellowship Deadline	18)	19) Criminal Law Career Panel 3pm	20)	21) $25 NBLSA Membership dues	22)
23)	24)	25)	26) Successful Rewrite 1L Memo 3 pm - Room 570 5 pm - Room 547	27)	28)	29)
30)	1) $15,000 fellowship for 3L	2)	3)	4)	5)	6)

For 1L’s

1L Liaison

In an effort to better serve the 1L Class, this year BLSA will be adding the position of 1L liaison to the executive board. The 1L liaison will need to attend all Executive Board Meetings and will provide valuable input on the needs of the class of 2010. If you are interested please email (rpatillo@kentlaw.edu) by Monday September 10, 2007. The class of 2010 will vote for their representative at the Tuesday meeting.

For 2L’s

3^RD ANNUAL COOK COUNTY

STATE’ATTORNEY’S OFFICE

MINORITY RECEPTION

Friday, September 14, 2007

JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL

315 SOUTH PLYMOUTH COURT

CHICAGO, IL

5:30 pm – 7:30 pm

11^TH ANNUAL PROSECUTORIAL

OPPORTUNITIES SYMPOSIUM

Saturday, September 15, 2007

JOHN MARSHALL LAW SCHOOL

315 SOUTH PLYMOUTH COURT

CHICAGO, IL

8:30 am to 12:30 pm

Participating agencies include:

The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office

City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s Office

U. S. Attorney’s Office

Illinois Attorney General’s Office

Symposium Highlights:

HEAD PROSECUTOR’S ROUND TABLE

A YOUNG LAWYERS PERSPECTIVE

INTERVIEWING AND HOW TO PREPARE FOR GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT

Both events are free of charge!

RSVP at (312) 603-1847

Please respond no later than September 7, 2007

For 3L’s:

$15,000 fellowship for 3L

MCCA and Lexis-Nexis Martindale-Hubbell Combine to Offer $15,000 for Winner of New Fellowship

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has partnered with LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell (LNMH) to offer the new Annual LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell Client Review Fellowship Award. Based upon a competitive selection process, MCCA and LNMH will choose the recipient of a $15,000 fellowship funded through the generosity of LNMH to assist in furthering the educational and professional objectives of one third year law student who anticipates graduating from law school in Spring 2008.

The first $15,000 award will be presented at the MCCA Tenth Anniversary Dinner, which will take place in New York City at the Marriott Marquis on November 7, 2007. Applications are due on or before October 1, 2007. An application form is attached. Review the rules, selection criteria, and if you will be a third year law student (or equivalent in the case of part-time/evening) who anticipates receiving your law degree in Spring 2008, you are eligible to apply! Applications are accepted via hard, copy sent by mail or courier only. No applications will be accepted by email or fax. Only those who anticipate graduating from law school in Spring 2008 are eligible to apply. Application deadline: October 1, 2007.

If you are not eligible pass word along to a third year law student who is.

http://www.mcca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=9&pageId=4

Academic Support:

Midwest NBLSA Academic Retreat

SAVE THE DATE!

Midwest NBLSA Academic Retreat

October 12-13

St. Louis, Missouri

Providing You with the Tools for Success!

The academic success of our Midwest BLSA members is one of our top priorities this year. For this reason, your Midwest NBLSA Board is working hard to provide you with the most valuable and beneficial Academic Retreat possible. Speakers and workshops planned will cover very important topics, including:

How to most effectively create outlines throughout the semester so you have a workable product at the start of the finals period that can aid you in mastering the application of the law to fact patterns, rather than scrambling to learn the law right before a test
The art of test preparation and how to most effectively prepare for a law school exam
Creating checklists and mini-outlines that are helpful on exams
How to improve your writing on law school exams and write that A-level answer
A luncheon with representatives from national law firms who will discuss the importance of grades and what they look for in an ideal candidate
And much more!

Save the date!

It will be an event that you do not want to miss.
Hotel accommodation information is forthcoming.

Please contact Kristen Jones at k-jones2009@law.northwestern.edu or

LaShonda Lambert at lashondalambert@hotmail.com with any questions.

Career Services:

Criminal Law Careers Panel

Wednesday, September 19, at 3pm

Invited panelist include the Cook County Police Department, the Office of the State Appellate Defender, the Cook County State’s Attorney, and the US Attorney’s Office,and also the Federal Defender’s Office.

There will be pizza/soda for the program.

___________________________________________________________________________

DOJ Fellowship Openings

Please see the links below for information about the DOJ Fellowship Program. The application deadline is 9-17

http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/hp/hp.htm

http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/sp/sp.htm

Law students also can contact John Tanner directly about unpaid internships in the Voting Section. FYI - we have set up a relationship with the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, and will have 2 of their fellows in our office this year

John can be reached at John.K.Tanner@usdoj.gov

Community Services:

Treasury:

NBLSA Membership Dues:

BLSA Membership Dues for this year will be $25. This allows you to participate in NBLSA activities such as Job fairs and Academic Support programs. The deadline is Friday September 21^st2007. You may submit your dues in the BLSA Mailbox on the Second Floor.

Please contact Christina Lutz (Clutz@kentlaw.edu) for more information.

Social Activities:

Please email Robert Patillo (rpatillo@kentlaw.edu) for ticketing information. If we can get a group together then we may qualify for a group discount.

Please email Juliette Gallegos (jgallegos@kentlaw.edu) if you will be attending this event.

18^TH ANNUAL CITY-WIDE PICNIC

FOR LAW STUDENTS OF COLOR

(FAMILIES WELCOMED)

Northwestern University School of Law

Sunday, September 16, 2007

1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

350 East Superior - Law School Courtyard

Rain Location - Atrium (same address)

PARKING PERMITS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE LOT “C” (222 E. HURON AVENUE)

PARTICIPATING LAW SCHOOLS

University of Chicago Law School

DePaul University College of Law

IIT Chicago Kent College of Law

Loyola University School of Law

John Marshall Law School

Northern Illinois University College of Law

Northwestern University School of Law

Valparaiso University School of Law

FOOD/DRINKS/MUSIC/CARDS/FELLOWSHIP

For general information, contact: Audra Wilson (312) 503-4557

APALSA ● BLSA ● LLSA ● MLSA ● MELSA ● SALSA

Please email Robert Patillo (rpatillo@kentlaw.edu) so that we can have an idea of how many of us will be attending and also so that we can coordinate transportation if needed.

Lyric Of The Week: “Black people unite and let's all get down; Gotta have what? Gotta have that love. Peace and understanding, One God, one light. One man, one voice, one mic
Black people unite come on and do it right!”

Quote to Ponder: "You can't lead people if you love people, and you can't save people without serving people."-Dr. Cornell West

Black History Moments:

August 31^st 1920, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (led by Marcus Garvey) concluded the First international convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During event the 20,000 members of the UNIA in attendance promulgated the "Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World", and elected the leaders of the UNIA as "leaders for the Negro people of the world". Further, they stated "We proclaim the 31st day of August of each year to be an international holiday to be observed by all Negroes."

____________________________

On September 9, 1739, twenty Enslaved Africans in South Carolina led by Jemmy, an Angolan slave, met near the Stono River, twenty miles southwest of Charleston. They marched down the roadway with a banner that read "Liberty!"—they chanted the same word in unison. At the Stono Bridge they seized weapons from a store and killed the two storekeepers. They raised a flag and proceeded towards St. Augustine. On the way, they gathered more recruits, their number now close to 100. They burned the houses of slave owners. South Carolina's Lieutenant Governor, William Bull, and four of his friends ran in to the group on horseback.

September 2007