By Candace McDuffie
Wednesday, February 8 is the day that the College of Law at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, will be renamed theĀ Benjamin L. CrumpĀ College of Law. This makes history as the first law school in the nation named after a practicing BlackĀ attorney.
There is only one other law school in the country named for a Black person and thatĀ is none other thanĀ Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. St. Thomas University President David A. Armstrong, J.D. expressed his excitement in a statement:
āThe naming of the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law at St. Thomas University is the latest step in an effort to encourage bridge-building among the legal profession, law enforcement, and our communities. Ben and I couldnāt be more different politically, but we share a passion for justice, and the hope that by working together, we can continue to drive meaningful change. Our faith in God, and our belief in the tenets laid out by our founding fathers in the US Constitution, enable us to go beyond race and politics, and focus on the work necessary to truly make the United States the home of the free, and the brave.ā
CrumpĀ also remarked how it feels to be honored by the school. āIt is a privilege to be a part of the St. Thomas University legacy through the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. We have come such a long way in the journey to equality, but we are not there yet,ā he said. āThe future changemakers and civil justice leaders that will matriculate from St. Thomas will soon be passed the torch from todayās civil rights icons and I have every confidence that they will meet the moment.ā
St. Thomas University is one of Americaās most diverse law schools. In 2022 and 2023, Princeton Review Best Law Schoolsā rankings placed it #1 as the āGreatest Resources for Minority Students.ā In addition, last year preLaw Magazine rated it among the topĀ ten Best Schools for Racial Justice in the US.