Members and alumni of GW Law's Black Law Student Association (BLSA) headed to Capitol Hill for a Black History Month-inspired event. This event, spearheaded by BLSA's Black History Month Committee Co-Chair, Leila Diallo, Class of 2023, and sponsored by Representative Troy Carter (LA-02), included a series of meet and greet's with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and a guided tour of the United States Capitol.
In addition to meeting Rep. Carter and his Chief of Staff, Chonya Davis Johnson, students also had the opportunity to meet Representatives Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Andre Carson (IN-07), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Lucy McBath (GA-07), Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), and Ilhan Omar (MN-05). The members stressed to students their legal education and how training prepares and empowers them to help others make our country stronger. Additionally, the members of the CBC encouraged students to take advantage of the unique opportunities available to them by attending a law school in Washington, DC.
Keri A. McCoy, Assistant Dean for Field Placement and advisor to BLSA, shared, "The members know the Field Placement Program at GW Law very well, and students noted that member after member emphasized the value of externships and the unique opportunities available to them as GW Law students due to location in DC blocks away. Many of the more than 500 students who extern as a part of the Field Placement Program at GW Law each year work with the White House, US House, and US Senate. It would be impossible to overstate the value of that experience and the professional connections that students make during their externships, particularly if they are considering a career in any way related to policy."
The afternoon concluded, with a tour of the Emancipation Hall, attending a press conference on gun violence, and a few final photos with members of the CBC. On the significance of this event, Dean McCoy reflects, "as we, a group of Black law students and attorneys, met with esteemed CBC members at the Capitol and appreciated the construction that came at the hands of our enslaved ancestors, we understood that we stand on the shoulders of many. Though most, if not all of our Black law students and Black professionals holistically, are accustomed to being the only Black person in countless spaces, on this unseasonably beautiful and transformational day, we stood together in this grand structure built by our enslaved ancestors, we all understand that we would never walk alone."
Leila Diallo was happy to see her vision for this event come to fruition. Diallo shared, "I am grateful to be a part of the BLSA community and for the support of Representative Carter, his Chief of Staff, Chonya Davis Johnson and for all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional staffers, Dean McCoy, Nana Owusu, BLSA leadership, and students and alumni that attended. I hope to make this 'Congressional Visit and Capitol Tour' a BLSA tradition."
GW Law congratulates Leila Diallo, Nana Owusu, Class of 2023, BLSA Black History Month Program Co-Chairs, and BLSA President Alyssa Alvarez, Class of 2023, on their excellent work on this impressive and important event.
