The 2018 Penn State Law Diversity Banquet will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2018, at the Regency Ballroom of the Atherton Hotel in State College, Pennsylvania. The Penn State Law Student Bar Association established the diversity banquet to honor members of the legal community who have contributed to the development of the legal profession. The banquet also celebrates the Penn State University Park campus for being culturally diverse, inclusive, and equitable. All members of the Penn State and State College communities are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

This year’s theme, Unity in Diversity, signifies the coming together of the Penn State Law community to celebrate the continual commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and representation in the legal field. It illustrates the strength of a community firm in its commitment to advancing the voices of Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American, queer, trans, woman, Muslim, disabled, veteran, and immigrant judges, lawyers, and law students working towards justice and equality. It reinforces the idea that the differences among us should not be used for the building of borders and walls, but for the foundation of a unified future. When we stand shoulder to shoulder alongside those who differ from us, we dismantle prejudices and discrimination and strengthen the unique characteristics that make us a community.

Penn State alumna The Honorable Toni E. Clarke will serve as the event’s keynote speaker and will receive the Diversity Award for Leadership in the Legal Profession. Judge Clarke was appointed to the Seventh Judicial Circuit sitting in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland on January 8, 1998. Judge Clarke presides over many types of cases including, but not limited to, Civil, Criminal, Family and Juvenile.  She is also an Adjunct Professor for the Prince George’s County Community College. Judge Clarke served as President of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association; was the first African-American woman to serve as President of the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland, Inc.; and was the first African American to serve as President of the Prince George’s County Bar Association.

Judge Clarke has also been recognized by numerous organizations for her hard work, community involvement, and mentoring. She is a recipient of the Rita C. Davidson Award (2009), the highest honor by the Women’s Bar Association of Maryland; and has received other awards such as: the Daily Record’s 2004 Leadership in the Law Award, 2001 and 1999 Maryland’s Top 100 Women; 2000 Wilde Lake High School Hall of Fame; 2000 Howard County Women’s Athletic Hall of Fame; 1998 Women of Achievement in Maryland History; 1997 Distinguished Woman Award from the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland; and the 1994/95 President’s Award – Prince George’s County Bar Association, Inc.

REGISTER

The 2018 Penn State Law Diversity Banquet is sponsored by:

Penn State Law Student Bar Association
Penn State Law Admissions Office
Penn State Law Career Services Office
Penn State Educational Equity
Borough of State College
Speakers Trust Fund
Jones Day
Centre County Bar Association