Law Professor Speaking Out In Defense Of Black Lives Matter Identified

Now we know who wrote the letter that went viral...

Patricia Leary

Patricia Leary

Not too long ago, a law professor’s open letter to the Whittier Law School community went viral. Perhaps an odd sentence in a vacuum, but we live in strange times. And the open letter was written in response to an anonymous memo the professor received from a student or students who decided they were angry that the professor deigned to wear a “Black Lives Matter” shirt on campus. I know, of all the nerve. /sarcasm

A version of the professor’s response appeared on Imgur, with all identifying information blacked out, so the liberal world was left to wonder who their latest celeb really was. Well, Insider Higher Ed has identified the law professor as Patricia Leary, a 20+ year veteran of the school. Her Whittier biography notes:

As a Distinguished Teaching Professor, she sees her life’s work as student-centered, both inside and outside of the classroom. She is deeply committed to teaching students to think clearly and critically about law, to helping students to refine the art of legal reasoning and analysis, and to encouraging students to navigate with joy and purpose the life changing experience of law school.

Which seems well in line with the tone of her open letter. Beyond being an example of full-throated support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which it is, the professor’s letter questions the students’ understanding of the role of teachers, the grammar used in the memo, logical fallacies advanced, and the notion that students in law school are consumers. She closes the letter with an apt summary of her life and teaching philosophy:

I believe that every moment in life (and certainly in the life of law school) can be an occasion for teaching and learning. Thank you for creating an opportunity for me to put this deeply held belief into practice.

If you haven’t read the letter yet, you really should. And we have the full, unredacted version of Professor Leary’s response right here.

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The Law Professor Who Answered Back [Inside Higher Ed]

Earlier: To Be Honest, I’m In No Mood To Explain #BlackLivesMatter To White People Today


Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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