Statement by Law Review Concerning a Recent Incident

On behalf of the editorial board of Volume 54 of The University of Memphis Law Review, we want to issue the following statement and apology in response to a recent incident that occurred in the Law Review suite:

A few weeks ago, a small group of Law Review student leaders used random items that were found in the Law Review suite to construct a “trophy” to recognize Law Review staff for excellent Bluebook editing. Bluebook editing is a weekly responsibility for Law Review staff. The “trophy,” which was made up of a football and a wig of long dark hair and other items, resembled a face. We placed this “trophy” on a shelf where it was visible to anyone nearby.

Although no one involved recognized it at the time, the face resembled images of black face, which historically has been a horrible and humiliating means of degrading African Americans. No one involved intended to make an item that resembled an image with such terrible racial connotations; however, Law Review’s leadership should have immediately recognized what the “trophy” resembled and how it harmed members of the Memphis legal community who viewed it.

The “trophy” remained visible for about a week and a half until a staff member made Law Review’s leadership aware of what it resembled. We immediately removed the “trophy” from the shelf and disassembled it to try to correct our terrible mistake and prevent any additional harm. We have since learned that our oversight and actions in making the “trophy” visible caused pain to many students and legal professionals both inside and outside Law Review.

Above all else, we as Law Review’s leadership are deeply sorry for the hurt we caused by creating the image, failing to recognize what the image resembled, and for making it visible. As part of its mission to publish valued scholarship, Law Review strives to be a welcoming organization to all students and members of the legal community. Our failure to be racially conscious in this incident fell short of those values.

Law Review is more committed than ever to ensuring our organization is welcoming and safe for all students. We recognize that our actions in this incident are a major setback for these goals, but we fully intend to use this as a catalyst to make this organization more inclusive and racially conscious going forward. Specifically, we are committed to embracing educational opportunities in the areas of cultural competence, implicit bias, microaggressions, and upstanders.

Will Stevens

Juris Doctor Candidate, May 2024

Editor-in-Chief, Volume 54, The University of Memphis Law Review

Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law