Celebrating Black History at Columbia Law

In honor of Black History Month, Columbia Law has compiled a selection of stories highlighting some of the ways Black alumni and faculty have helped transform the Law School, the legal field, and beyond. Below, learn about alumni like Elreta Melton Alexander ’45, the first Black woman in North Carolina to be licensed and practice as a lawyer, to argue before its Supreme Court, and to be elected a judge; and faculty like Kellis E. Parker, the first Black professor at Columbia Law who was known for his advocacy against racial discrimination in academia, his embrace of jazz as a framework for understanding law, and his generous spirit with colleagues and students.