With their commencement,
members of the law school's first
graduating class of 1950 became
much-needed additions to the legal
arena, for African Americans.
Pictured from left are Alex L.
Pitcher, Leroy White, Ellyson F.
Dyson, Jesse Stone, and Alvin B.
Jones. |
Plans for the law school were
approved by the State Board of
Education at its January 10, 1947,
meeting. On June 14, 1947, the Board
of Liquidation of State Debt
appropriated $40,000 for the
operation of the school. The
Southern University Law School was
officially opened in September 1947
to provide legal education for
African-American students.
Southern University Law Center
graduates, beginning with the
legendary civil rights attorney,
political leader, and educator Jesse
N. Stone, Jr., Alvin Basile Jones,
Leroy White, Ellyson Fredrick Dyson,
and Alex Louis Pitcher of the class
of 1950, have spread across the
state and nation as trailblazers in
the legal profession, securing equal
rights for others. To date, the Law
Center has more than 2,500 graduates
and is one of the nation's most
racially diverse law schools. |
