LAWS9109 · Law

Orwell?s Nightmare: United States Law and the Support of Anti-Black Racism

Boston College Law School

Who controls the past controls the future. The past is erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth. George Orwell, 1984U.S. history is filled with great achievements and accomplishments, yet the founding, development, and enrichment of our country is tied to our colonial and constitutional embrace of enslaving Black people and our post-civil war reliance on government policies, practices and procedures reflecting a denial of the humanity and dignity of Black people in the United States.Using the documentary "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America" as the foundation for study, reflection, and discussion, this course will examine anti-Black racism in the legal system through four primary focus areas: the criminal legal system, education, voting, and housing. Students will divide into groups and delve into an area, reviewing historical texts, caselaw, the U.S. Constitution, and original resources. Throughout the semester, we will explore the impact of anti-Black racism on the current gap between white and Black America at virtually every socio-economic measure, and ways to apply law to effect change going forward.This course is two credits and will require a 15-page paper (exclusive of footnotes).