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and Tulane University Law School. Several of these journal law review members have to have faith in
incoming top editors, who will lead their respective what often may be the sole Black person on the jour-
journals during the upcoming academic year, have nal, to advance them to [editor-in-chief].”
noted the significance of diverse leadership. Parks isn’t the only academic to take note of the
“I think representation really matters,” said in- strides Black students are making on the law jour-
coming Georgia State Law Review Editor-in-Chief nal front. University of Houston Law Dean Leonard
Jeannine Holmes in an announcement of her elec- Baynes is currently crowdsourcing a more compre-
tion last month. “For me, it’s always been important hensive version of Parks’ database that covers Black
to see Black people, especially Black women, in legal law review editors across all law schools. He suspects
spaces. It gives Black women the motivation to keep that the visibility of Obama ascending to the presi-
striving for their goals, and it just makes it more dency and the policies and rhetoric of the Trump
comfortable when you know you’re going to see administration have contributed to the growing
yourself in places.” numbers of Black law journal editors-in-chief.
Charisma Ricksy Nguepdo, who next year will “Like a lot of things, it appears that the selection
serve as editor-in-chief of the Houston Law Review, of editors-in-chief is obviously based on merit and
said she is optimistic that her election to the journal’s accomplishments, but sometimes is responsive to
top post will help open the door for other minority what is happening in the world around us,” Baynes
students. said. “For instance, at the [non-
“My hope is that through my Historically Black Colleges and
hard work on behalf of the Hous- University] law schools, so far it
ton Law Review, students who The number of Black appears that more than half of the

may have otherwise doubted their editors-in-chief at flagship black [editors-in-chief] have been
ability to join the Law Review will law reviews was fairly selected since 2009 when Obama
think twice about what is possible stagnant until 2013. This was first elected president,” Baynes
for them,” Nguepdo said. year, eight top law reviews said. “I think that this list demon-
Landing an editor-in-chief post strates the power of representation
at a flagship journal isn’t easy, but have elected their first- of leadership. At that time, Black
it’s a credential that vaults law ever Black editor. students were probably saying

students to the top of the list for to themselves, ‘If Obama could
prestigious judicial clerkships be president of the Harvard Law
and well-paying jobs in Big Law, Review and become president of
among other legal career opportunities. The first the U.S., I can also be [editor-in-chief] of my law
Black editor-in-chief of the Harvard Law Review school’s flagship law school.’”
was none other than Barack Obama in 1990. Other George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police last
notable names that appear on Parks’ list include for- summer and the Black Lives Matters movement
mer Rutgers University Chancellor Phoebe Haddon; have also likely prompted law students to consider
legendary civil rights lawyer Julius Chambers; and more carefully the relative dearth of Black law re-
sitting California Supreme Court Justice Leondra view editors and how racism and bias manifests in
Kruger. legal education, Parks noted.
Editors-in-chief are elected by their fellow law “I wonder, ‘To what extent did Donald Trump’s
review members. Thus, in order to elect a Black presidency become a triggering event?’” Parks said.
editor-in-chief, the law review must have diversity “And police killings of Black people and the Black
within its member ranks, something that they have Lives Matter movement, and heightening racial
traditionally struggled to maintain, Parks said. consciousness more broadly among U.S. citizenry. I
“I think, too often, you don’t have Black people on can only speculate, but I imagine that precipitated a
the main law journal,” he said. “Secondly, the other
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