School launches second minority alumni group.

On May 1, a distinguished group of African-American law alumni met at Stanford to exchange ideas, experiences, and—yes—business cards. On hand were Google Vice President and General Counsel David Drummond ’89, who just two days earlier had helped his company file for one of the most anticipated IPOs of all time, and groundbreakers like Sallyanne Payton ’68 (BA ’64), the Law School’s first African-American graduate, and Leslie Williams ’74 (BA ’49), a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the distinguished World War II all-black fighter pilot crew. 

And there to hear their tales was the younger generation: recent graduates, current students, even a couple of high school kids who came with their mentor, Eugene Clark-Herrera ’01. The occasion was the launch of the Stanford Law School Black Alumni Association. Close to 100 people gathered under a canopy in front of Cooley Courtyard for an elegant lunch and stimulating conversation, followed by a series of short talks. 

Of all the reasons the Law School needed to start a black alumni association, the most significant, according to Charles Crockett ’92, was to give different generations of African-American graduates an opportunity to share experiences. 

“It’s really important to have that sense of history, to understand what AfricanAmericans were dealing with 40 years ago, and how those issues compare with the challenges we face today,” said Crockett, a partner at Ascend Venture Group, LLC, and the Association’s inaugural chair. 

The Black Alumni Association is the second in what will be a number of minority alumni associations: last year, the School started the Stanford Law School Latino Alumni Association, and it will soon launch Asian–Pacific Islander and Native American groups. “The Black Alumni Association is something we’ve been talking about for many years,” said Dean Kathleen M. Sullivan at the celebration, “and now my dream is a reality.” 

Noting that the Class of 2006 has many more nonwhite students, 36 percent, than other top-rated law schools, she said the Black Alumni Association would assist the School in continuing to reach out to AfricanAmerican applicants. 

Payton told the assembled luncheon guests that her Stanford Law connections have helped her advance her career at every step, from a post in the Nixon administration to her current position as the William W. Cook Professor of Law at the University of Michigan. The Black Alumni Association will help strengthen those ties, she says. “This is the place for talented African-Americans.”