Former N.Y. mayor to speak at law school banquet

David N. Dinkins, former mayor of New York City, will discuss “American Justice on Trial” as the keynote speaker at the Law School‘s annual Legal Education Opportunities Banquet for students of color.

The event is scheduled Saturday, April 7, at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. Dinner begins at 7 p.m. following a 5:30 p.m. reception.

The annual banquet brings together current students in the LEO Program with alumni, faculty, and any friends of the organization who would like to attend. LEO was founded in 1967 to provide an academic and social network for the Law School’s students of color, and the program has flourished and become a model emulated by other law schools.

The program currently has an alumni roster of more than 700 legal professionals across the country, many of whom return to Madison for the annual spring banquet. To make a reservation, call Theresa Dougherty at the Law School, (608) 262-0618. Cost: $30 per person. Deadline: March 29.

Keynote speaker Dinkins currently is a senior fellow of the Columbia Center for Urban Research and Policy and a Professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is a 1950 honors graduate of Howard University, and earned his LL.B. degree from Brooklyn Law School in 1956.

Dinkins was elected president of the Borough of Manhattan in November 1985, and as mayor of New York in November 1989, serving a four-year term.

In addition to his work at Columbia, Dinkins hosts a public affairs radio program, “Dialogue with Dinkins,” and continues to advocate for children, education, compassionate urban policy and tolerance. He serves on the boards of numerous not-for-profit and charitable organizations, including many which assist young people, and is national chairman of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.