On March 4, 2021 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. (PLAN) and the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), in conjunction with the Conference of County Bar Leaders, held a virtual panel discussion on Richard Rothstein’s book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. 
 

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In prior years, PLAN, Inc. and the PBA have kicked off the Conference of County Bar Leaders by hosting a reception prior to the start of the conference. Since the conference was unable to take place in person this year, this panel discussion was held to bring bar leaders together to examine this important issue and to reinforce the partnership that exists between county bar leaders and the legal aid community. 

As in years past, PLAN and the PBA are grateful for the generous support of the Pennsylvania State University law schools – Penn State Law and Dickinson Law – who sponsored the event.

The Color of Law documents how American cities became so racially divided as federal, state, and local governments systematically imposed residential segregation. The panel was comprised of an esteemed group of experts, who provided historical context for these systems of oppression and discussed the racialization of housing policies and the role attorneys can play in redressing these systemic injustices.

The panel discussion was moderated by Donald F. Smith, Jr., Esq., longtime legal aid advocate and former Executive Director of the Berks County Bar Association.

Members of the panel included:
 

Eleanor Brown, J.D., M.Phil.
Professor of Law and International Affairs
Penn State Law

Jill C. Engle, Esq.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Professor of Clinical Law
Penn State Law

Rasheedah Phillips, Esq.
Managing Attorney for Housing Policy
Community Legal Services of Philadelphia

Megan Riesmeyer, Esq.
Professor of Clinical Law and Director of the Community Law Clinic
Penn State Dickinson Law