Post date: March 16, 2001 -- 5:30 p.m.

In the wake of recent allegations that voters' civil rights were violated during the 2000 presidential election, the Black Law Students Association at Harvard Law School will convene a panel of legal experts to determine what steps can be taken to prevent similar problems in the future.

The event—which is open to the public—will be held on Monday, March 19 at 5:30 p.m. in Pound Hall 101. The following panelists are scheduled to attend:

• Lani Guinier, Professor, Harvard Law School (moderator)
  Before joining the Harvard Law School faculty, Guinier was a civil rights lawyer for more than 10 years with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Christopher Edley, Professor, Harvard Law School
  Edley, a former advisor to President Clinton and Vice President Gore, is a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and founding co-director of The Civil Rights Project at Harvard.

• Heather Gerken, Assistant Professor, Harvard Law School
  Gerken is a noted expert on election law who was featured extensively during the Florida election controversy in major news media across the country and around the world.

• Penda Hair, Co-Director, The Advancement Project
  Hair founded the Advancement Project, a Washington, D.C.-based social and legal action group. Previously, Hair worked for a number of years with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund.

The Harvard Black Law Student Association (BLSA) is 25-year-old affinity group dedicated to positively impacting the development of the African-American community, and promoting cooperation and closer ties between all members of the Law School.

For more information, please contact Damon Y. Smith, BLSA Political Action Chair at 493-9590 or dysmith@law.harvard.edu.