In a spirit of fellowship, celebration, resilience and unity, NYU Law’s Alumni of Color Association (LACA) held its 47th annual spring dinner on Friday, April 4 at Cipriani 25 Broadway. The event, which assembled hundreds of alumni, faculty, current and prospective students, along with many luminaries, was centered on the theme of “Bravely Forging Ahead, Together.”
With impassioned opening remarks, LACA President Rafiq Kalam Id Din II, ’00 observed that this year’s dinner underscores an urgent theme at a critical time, after the Trump administration has issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in both the public and private sectors. “This is a moment that requires courage,” he said. “It is only required when something is in jeopardy. It is only required when something’s at risk.”
Music from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and A Tribe Called Quest was part of the walk-on soundtrack for the evening’s speakers. When Dean Troy McKenzie ’00, Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law, took the stage, he was accompanied by Bob Marley & The Wailers’ defiant 1973 classic “Get Up, Stand Up.” Addressing the audience, McKenzie underscored how LACA “has always stood for collective effort, mutual support and for commitment.”
McKenzie spoke of the legacy of civil rights attorney Charles Swinger Conley ’55—who worked on the landmark First Amendment case Times v. Sullivan and was elected as the first Black circuit court judge in Alabama. “When you think about it, courage is an abstract thing. But for Charles Conley, it was his life. And it meant risks to his life,” McKenzie said in reference to the violent backlash to the civil rights movement. McKenzie also paid tribute to Conley’s wife, Ellen Conley, who was instrumental in establishing the Honorable Charles Swinger Conley Scholarship within the AnBryce Scholarship Program. A video dedication to late civil rights activist and NYU Professor Derrick Bell, who served as a full-time professor at the Law School for two decades, was introduced by NYU Law trustee Lisa Marie Boykin ’95.
During the evening, three NYU Law graduates were honored with Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards: Deirdre Hykal ’00, executive vice president and general counsel, product and distribution at the financial services group TIAA; Joanne Lin ’97, executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs; and Tom Shropshire ’98, general counsel and company secretary for the multinational alcoholic beverage company, Diageo, were honored with Distinguished Alumni Achievement Awards. A range of scholarships were also presented to NYU Law students: Emily Luong ’26, Toella Pilakas ’26, and Priya Prasad ’26 each received the Derrick Bell Scholarship for Public Service; Christopher Offoha ’26 was awarded the Rasheed McWilliams Scholarship; and Addie Walker ’26 was recognized with the Lisa Marie Boykin Scholarship.
Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, introduced the keynote speaker, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who dedicated most of his address to paying tribute to the late Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson ’92. As the first-ever Black district attorney in Brooklyn, Thompson pioneered the use of conviction review units to re-examine potential wrongful conviction cases. “For me, he is quite specifically a forerunner. He bravely forged a path,” Bragg observed. “But his impact really spread far and wide. And that’s [NYU Law’s] impact. It’s his legacy, but it’s your legacy too because he always talked about this community.”
After reflecting that today “there’s so much criticism of gatherings like this”—dedicated to celebrating and lifting up people of color—Bragg concluded his remarks by referencing a Biblical verse. “We all need a push at our back for togetherness. And I kept on coming back to the letter from Paul to the Galatians,” he said. “And his direction to another group that was under duress—and that is my charge to you tonight—‘Grow not weary in doing good.’ Keep up the fight.”
Posted May 2, 2025
