Verna L. Williams is the Judge Joseph P. Kinneary Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Her courses include Constitutional Law, Gender and the Law, and Family Law. A founder and co-director of the College’s Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice , Professor Williams’s research examines the intersection of race, gender, and class in such areas as education law and policy. Prior to joining the faculty in 2001, Professor Williams was Vice President and Director of Educational Opportunities at the National Women’s Law Center, where she focused on issues of gender equity in education. In that capacity, Professor Williams was lead counsel and successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, which established that Title IX requires educational institutions to address known complaints of student-to-student sexual harassment. Professor Williams also practiced at the Department of Justice and with the firm of Sidley Austin LLP, and clerked for the Honorable David S. Nelson in the District of Massachusetts. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School and Georgetown University.
This article examines how race and educational equity issues shape women's sports experiences... more This article examines how race and educational equity issues shape women's sports experiences, building upon the narrative of Darnellia Russell, a high school basketball player profiled in the documentary The Heart of the Game. Darnellia is a star player who, because of an unintended pregnancy, has to fight to play the game she loves. This girl's story provides a unique and underutilized lens through which to examine gender and athletics, as well as evaluate the legal framework for gender equality in sport. In focusing on this narrative, we seek to give voice to black female athletes and to express their concerns in ways the law and scholarship have yet to do. The article focuses on several under-theorized areas: among them, how the push for greater Title IX enforcement in the context of ongoing inequalities in public education has ignored the deeper educational inequalities and educational policy issues that provide the broader context for sports programs, and the impact of...
Professor Williams discusses the 1965 Moynihan Report, "The Negro Family: The Case for Natio... more Professor Williams discusses the 1965 Moynihan Report, "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," its effect on societal and legal views of blacks in the ensuing half-century, and offers an alternative paradigm, "social justice feminism," for examining challenges confronting African American families.
Twenty years ago I was a arst-year student at Harvard Law School (“HLS”). Even then, Charles Ogle... more Twenty years ago I was a arst-year student at Harvard Law School (“HLS”). Even then, Charles Ogletree (“Tree”) was something of a legend. Coming from Washington, D.C., and having friends who clerked at the Public Defender Service, I knew of his reputation as an attorney of unparalleled skill. But even in the frozen North, the land of the “T,” the frappe, and the broad “a”—a strange land to one hailing from “Chocolate City”— the buzz around this young professor and his Introduction to Trial Advocacy course was so universally great that by the end of the arst semester that year, I had resolved to become one of his students. That was one of the best decisions I made during my three years at HLS, but not for reasons that I originally envisioned. In my third year at Harvard, Charles Ogletree was more than just a great professor who pushed me to see my potential through his eyes; he was a brotherly mentor, whose courage, generosity, and wisdom have informed my professional and personal li...
This article frames the issues in the Supreme Court case, Nevada Department of Human Resources v.... more This article frames the issues in the Supreme Court case, Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, and introduces the articles making up the inaugural symposium of the Law and Women's Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati. Hibbs involved a husband who was trying to get leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in order to take care of his severely injured wife. The case presents an opportunity to rethink issues of work and family, the legal subordination of women, and the law as an agent for social change, and it was therefore an ideal focus for the symposium.
Using the Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris as a focal point, this article... more Using the Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris as a focal point, this article examines the meaning of private choice in public education reform. In Zelman, the Court addressed the validity of the Cleveland city schools' voucher program, which provided public money for students to attend private parochial schools. The Court concluded that because the program gave parents a "true private choice" it did not run afoul of the Establishment Clause. This article submits that the subtext of the decision, however, suggests that the Justices were influenced by the abysmal condition of the Cleveland schools and were reluctant to tie the hands of public officials seeking to remedy the shortcomings of a system that had failed primarily poor students of color. The article foregrounds this concern and applies critical feminist theory to interrogate the meaning of choice in this context. In this connection, the article examines the events that lead to enactment of ...
First Lady Michelle Obama is an accomplished woman in her own right, defying racial, gender, and ... more First Lady Michelle Obama is an accomplished woman in her own right, defying racial, gender, and class stereotypes to excel in private practice and public service. Yet, during the campaign, a different portrait of this remarkable woman emerged that was noteworthy for its persistence and vitriol. Characterized as bitter, angry, and sassy, among other things, Michelle Obama exemplified life at the intersections of race and gender. Depicting Mrs. Obama in this intensely negative light, her critics essentially asked: How can Michelle Obama be First Lady when she’s no lady at all? This essay examines the social meaning of the First Lady, an unelected position lacking any Constitutionally-defined job description. As the discourse during the campaign suggested, this role is a national institution of great significance, largely because it personifies domesticity and traditional femininity. This essay argues that, as traditionally understood, the role of First Lady supports privileged white ...
ABSTRACT This Article examines reparations as a means of supporting systemic reform of public edu... more ABSTRACT This Article examines reparations as a means of supporting systemic reform of public education, focusing on a recent enactment of the Virginia General Assembly, the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program and Fund (Brown Fund Act). This provision seeks to remedy the state's refusal to integrate schools after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education by providing scholarships to persons denied an education between 1954 and 1964, a period known as massive resistance. Under this regime, the state's executive and legislative branches colluded to develop laws that defied Brown's mandate, including authorizing the governor to close public schools. One locality, Prince Edward County, went so far as to keep its schools closed for five years, but provided state-funded scholarships to enable white children to continue their learning. Black students, however, went without an education, or had to leave the area to get what state officials denied them. The paper examines the Brown Fund Act within several contexts to assess its efficacy as a remedy and as a form of reparations. Specifically, the paper examines key aspects of Virginia's history and finds that state imposed limits on educational opportunities were part of larger systemic subordination of African Americans. Thus, for example, laws proscribing literacy for slaves, limiting the franchise for Blacks, denying integration in schooling, and enabling Black taxpayer dollars to be diverted to white schools combined to maintain a caste system in which Blacks perpetually would occupy the lower rungs. Viewed in this light, the Brown Fund Act is only a partial remedy and not truly reparative. The paper thus concludes by building upon the work of Professor Eric Yamamoto, and others, who have posited that reparations should emphasize material change by, inter alia, repairing institutions that have been tainted by state-sanctioned, state-enforced subjugation. The institution in need of repair in this instance is public education. In this regard, the paper explores a variety of legislative measures the state should pursue to effectuate such change and provide justice that it so long denied its Black citizens.
This article examines how race and educational equity issues shape women's sports experiences... more This article examines how race and educational equity issues shape women's sports experiences, building upon the narrative of Darnellia Russell, a high school basketball player profiled in the documentary The Heart of the Game. Darnellia is a star player who, because of an unintended pregnancy, has to fight to play the game she loves. This girl's story provides a unique and underutilized lens through which to examine gender and athletics, as well as evaluate the legal framework for gender equality in sport. In focusing on this narrative, we seek to give voice to black female athletes and to express their concerns in ways the law and scholarship have yet to do. The article focuses on several under-theorized areas: among them, how the push for greater Title IX enforcement in the context of ongoing inequalities in public education has ignored the deeper educational inequalities and educational policy issues that provide the broader context for sports programs, and the impact of...
Professor Williams discusses the 1965 Moynihan Report, "The Negro Family: The Case for Natio... more Professor Williams discusses the 1965 Moynihan Report, "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," its effect on societal and legal views of blacks in the ensuing half-century, and offers an alternative paradigm, "social justice feminism," for examining challenges confronting African American families.
Twenty years ago I was a arst-year student at Harvard Law School (“HLS”). Even then, Charles Ogle... more Twenty years ago I was a arst-year student at Harvard Law School (“HLS”). Even then, Charles Ogletree (“Tree”) was something of a legend. Coming from Washington, D.C., and having friends who clerked at the Public Defender Service, I knew of his reputation as an attorney of unparalleled skill. But even in the frozen North, the land of the “T,” the frappe, and the broad “a”—a strange land to one hailing from “Chocolate City”— the buzz around this young professor and his Introduction to Trial Advocacy course was so universally great that by the end of the arst semester that year, I had resolved to become one of his students. That was one of the best decisions I made during my three years at HLS, but not for reasons that I originally envisioned. In my third year at Harvard, Charles Ogletree was more than just a great professor who pushed me to see my potential through his eyes; he was a brotherly mentor, whose courage, generosity, and wisdom have informed my professional and personal li...
This article frames the issues in the Supreme Court case, Nevada Department of Human Resources v.... more This article frames the issues in the Supreme Court case, Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, and introduces the articles making up the inaugural symposium of the Law and Women's Studies Program at the University of Cincinnati. Hibbs involved a husband who was trying to get leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in order to take care of his severely injured wife. The case presents an opportunity to rethink issues of work and family, the legal subordination of women, and the law as an agent for social change, and it was therefore an ideal focus for the symposium.
Using the Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris as a focal point, this article... more Using the Supreme Court's decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris as a focal point, this article examines the meaning of private choice in public education reform. In Zelman, the Court addressed the validity of the Cleveland city schools' voucher program, which provided public money for students to attend private parochial schools. The Court concluded that because the program gave parents a "true private choice" it did not run afoul of the Establishment Clause. This article submits that the subtext of the decision, however, suggests that the Justices were influenced by the abysmal condition of the Cleveland schools and were reluctant to tie the hands of public officials seeking to remedy the shortcomings of a system that had failed primarily poor students of color. The article foregrounds this concern and applies critical feminist theory to interrogate the meaning of choice in this context. In this connection, the article examines the events that lead to enactment of ...
First Lady Michelle Obama is an accomplished woman in her own right, defying racial, gender, and ... more First Lady Michelle Obama is an accomplished woman in her own right, defying racial, gender, and class stereotypes to excel in private practice and public service. Yet, during the campaign, a different portrait of this remarkable woman emerged that was noteworthy for its persistence and vitriol. Characterized as bitter, angry, and sassy, among other things, Michelle Obama exemplified life at the intersections of race and gender. Depicting Mrs. Obama in this intensely negative light, her critics essentially asked: How can Michelle Obama be First Lady when she’s no lady at all? This essay examines the social meaning of the First Lady, an unelected position lacking any Constitutionally-defined job description. As the discourse during the campaign suggested, this role is a national institution of great significance, largely because it personifies domesticity and traditional femininity. This essay argues that, as traditionally understood, the role of First Lady supports privileged white ...
ABSTRACT This Article examines reparations as a means of supporting systemic reform of public edu... more ABSTRACT This Article examines reparations as a means of supporting systemic reform of public education, focusing on a recent enactment of the Virginia General Assembly, the Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Program and Fund (Brown Fund Act). This provision seeks to remedy the state's refusal to integrate schools after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education by providing scholarships to persons denied an education between 1954 and 1964, a period known as massive resistance. Under this regime, the state's executive and legislative branches colluded to develop laws that defied Brown's mandate, including authorizing the governor to close public schools. One locality, Prince Edward County, went so far as to keep its schools closed for five years, but provided state-funded scholarships to enable white children to continue their learning. Black students, however, went without an education, or had to leave the area to get what state officials denied them. The paper examines the Brown Fund Act within several contexts to assess its efficacy as a remedy and as a form of reparations. Specifically, the paper examines key aspects of Virginia's history and finds that state imposed limits on educational opportunities were part of larger systemic subordination of African Americans. Thus, for example, laws proscribing literacy for slaves, limiting the franchise for Blacks, denying integration in schooling, and enabling Black taxpayer dollars to be diverted to white schools combined to maintain a caste system in which Blacks perpetually would occupy the lower rungs. Viewed in this light, the Brown Fund Act is only a partial remedy and not truly reparative. The paper thus concludes by building upon the work of Professor Eric Yamamoto, and others, who have posited that reparations should emphasize material change by, inter alia, repairing institutions that have been tainted by state-sanctioned, state-enforced subjugation. The institution in need of repair in this instance is public education. In this regard, the paper explores a variety of legislative measures the state should pursue to effectuate such change and provide justice that it so long denied its Black citizens.
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