By Candace McDuffie
Wednesday, February 8 is the day that the College of Law at St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, will be renamed the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law. This makes history as the first law school in the nation named after a practicing Black attorney.
There is only one other law school in the country named for a Black person and that is none other than Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. St. Thomas University President David A. Armstrong, J.D. expressed his excitement in a statement:
“The 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 couldn’t 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.”
Crump also remarked how it feels to be honored by the school. “It 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,” he said. “The future changemakers and civil justice leaders that will matriculate from St. Thomas will soon be passed the torch from today’s civil rights icons and I have every confidence that they will meet the moment.”
St. Thomas University is one of America’s most diverse law schools. In 2022 and 2023, Princeton Review Best Law Schools’ rankings placed it #1 as the “Greatest Resources for Minority Students.” In addition, last year preLaw Magazine rated it among the top ten Best Schools for Racial Justice in the US.
