Last August, the New York Times began a groundbreaking series, The 1619 Project, a series of podcasts and an entire edition of the Times Magazine dedicated to the often untold history of the slave trade. The scars of slavery were central to the founding of our Republic, and the impact of slavery’s legacy has extended to all areas of the American experiment, from economic inequality to mass incarceration, to education, health care, and arts and culture.This coming weekend, a symposium at the University of Baltimore Law School will explore the impact of slavery on the criminal justice system in America. Today on Midday, a conversation with two of the legal scholars who will be presenting at the symposium, which is entitled “400 Years: Slavery and the Criminal Justice System.” We begin with Michael Higginbotham, the Joseph Curtis Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law and the author of Ghosts of Jim Crow: Ending Racism in Post-Racial America. Then, Tom speaks with Roy L. Austin, a former Department of Justice and Obama Administration official who is delivering one of the keynote addresses next weekend. Mr. Austin joins us on the line from Washington, D.C.The Symposium runs from 2:00 to 6:30pm on Friday, November 15 and from 9:45am to 3:30pm on Saturday, November 16. The event is free and open to the public. Listeners can register to attend either or both days of the symposium at law.ubalt.edu. The symposium is sponsored by the Baltimore law firm of Kramon ---- Graham.This conversation was streamed live on our Facebook page. To watch, go to www.facebook.com/wypr881FM.

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