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2024 PHRC/TEMPLE LAW SOCIAL JUSTICE LECTURE SERIESAN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYCo-host of the Supreme Court podcast StrictScrutiny, legal analyst for MSNBC, and leadingexpert on constitutional lawTUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2024 | 6:30 PMWELCOMEPresented by the PHRC Social Justice Lecture Series in collaboration with Temple University Beasley School of Law
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYGREETINGS FROM CHAD DION LASSITER, MSWIt is my pleasure to welcome you to tonight’s discussion with Professor MelissaMurray and Dean Rachel Rebouché.As the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission,we are honored to once again collaborate with Temple University BeasleySchool of Law. This is the third event the PHRC has hosted alongside Temple. Our collaboration began in 2022 with Anita Hill and continued earlier this year when we marked theopening of the inspiring and extraordinary exhibit, “Lessons of Resilience and Courage from GermanJewish Women Lawyers.” Tonight Professor Murray and Dean Rebouché will examine the promise of the United States as a countrythat values equity and the work that still remains for us to realize that promise.We know your time is valuable, we thank you for joining us this evening. Sincerely,Executive DirectorPennsylvania Human Relations Commission
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYMELISSA MURRAYCO-HOST OF THE SUPREME COURT PODCAST STRICT SCRUTINY,LEGAL ANALYST FOR MSNBCMelissa Murray knows the transformational power of women’s rights and genderjustice. As a leading scholar of constitutional law and reproductive rights andjustice, she researches and writes about the structures, systems, and institutionsthat allow women to thrive—as well as those that stymie and limit women’sambitions for themselves and their families.The daughter of Jamaican immigrants, Melissa knows first-hand the importance of securing and expandingopportunities for women. She was just six years old when she realized that her literacy skills outstripped hergrandmother’s. But even as Melissa recognized her grandmother’s limitations, she also saw her doggeddetermination to ensure that her daughters—and granddaughters—would have more opportunities. Raisingchickens, selling eggs, and doing other home-based labor, Melissa’s grandmother made sure that all five of herdaughters, including Melissa’s mother, completed high school and went on to have careers. With these powerfulmodels of grit and determination, it is no wonder that Melissa went on to be one of the nation’s leading experts onwomen’s rights, reproductive rights and justice, and the United States Supreme Court.The co-host of the popular Supreme Court podcast, Strict Scrutiny, and a legal analyst for MSNBC, Melissa’s talksexplore the intersection of gender, race, and the law, and examines the role of legal institutions, including theSupreme Court, in entrenching and disrupting inequalities. An engaging and commanding speaker, Melissachallenges audiences to understand the ways in which gendered roles and expectations have long permeated—and continue to permeate—all aspects of our society, stymieing opportunities for gender justice, reproductivejustice, and a more equal society.Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at the New York University School of Law, andFaculty Director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network. Previously, she was the Alexander F. and May T.Morrison Professor of Law and Interim Dean of Berkeley Law, the first Black woman to lead a top ten law school.Murray’s articles have appeared in leading law journals, including the Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal,and the Columbia Law Review. Murray regularly appears in print and on television to comment on criticalpolitical and policy issues. She is a graduate of Yale Law School, where she was a member of the Yale Law Journal,and the University of Virginia, where she was a Jefferson Scholar and an Echols Scholar. Prior to enteringacademia, she served as a law clerk to the Hon. Sonia Sotomayor and the Hon. Stefan R. Underhill.Her moving talks make clear the real-life stakes of our most pressing legal and political issues—for women andeveryone else.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYRACHEL REBOUCHÉKEAN FAMILY DEAN, PETER J. LIACOURAS PROFESSOR OF LAWRachel Rebouché is the Kean Family Dean of Temple University Beasley School ofLaw and the Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law. Prior to her appointment as Dean,she was the Associate Dean for Research, a position she held from 2017 to 2021. Sheis also a Faculty Fellow at Temple’s Center for Public Health Law Research.Dean Rebouché is a leading scholar in reproductive health law and family law. She isan author of Governance Feminism: An Introduction and an editor of GovernanceFeminism: Notes from the Field. She is also the editor of Feminist Judgments: Family Law Opinions Rewritten,published by Cambridge University Press, and an author of the sixth edition of the casebook, Family Law. Inaddition, she will join the fifth edition of the casebook, Contracts: Law in Action and recently co-edited a collectionof essays for Law & Contemporary Problems on the pandemic’s effects on contract law.Dean Rebouché has served as a co-investigator on two grant-funded research projects related to reproductivehealth, one housed at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and another funded by the WorldHealth Organization. Her recent research also includes articles in law reviews and in peer-reviewed journals onabortion law, relational contracts, gestational surrogacy, prenatal genetic testing and genetic counseling,collaborative divorce, parental involvement laws, and international reproductive rights.Dean Rebouché received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an LL.M. from Queen’s University, Belfast, and a B.A.from Trinity University. Prior to law school, she worked as a researcher for the Northern Ireland Human RightsCommission and the Human Rights Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast. After law school, Dean Rebouchéclerked for Justice Kate O’Regan on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and practiced law in Washington,D.C., where she served as an associate director of adolescent health programs at the National Partnership forWomen & Families (formerly, the Women’s Legal Defense Fund) and as a Women’s Law and Public Policy Fellow atthe National Women’s Law Center.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYenvironmental-related construction issues, including permit procurement, erosion and sedimentation controls,and environmental assessments and remediation. He also advises clients on permit and enforcement actions andregulatory compliance. He also represents buyers, sellers, lenders, and public entities in corporate and real estatetransactions.Bolstein's government affairs practice focuses on obtaining legislative, regulatory, and administrative solutionsfor clients at all levels of government. He has assisted clients on matters involving legislation, permits,enforcement actions, contracting, and procurement challenges.Bolstein served three terms on the U.S. EPA's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy & Technology.From January 1995 to July 1997, he was Deputy Secretary for Special Projects at the Pennsylvania Department ofEnvironmental Protection. He was involved in a wide variety of areas, including permit and enforcementdecisions and the development of policies and regulatory initiatives. He served as a trouble-shooter between theDepartment of Environmental Protection and the regulated community and worked on projects involving thereuse of industrial sites and the promotion of economic development. As Deputy Secretary, he managed theimplementation of Pennsylvania's Land Recycling Act (Act 2 of 1995) and helped write the regulations for the land-recycling program. He also represented the commonwealth in the Republican Governors Association Task Forceon CERCLA reform.Bolstein is a former member of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Standing Committee on Environmental Law.He is also a past officer in the ABA's Section on Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law (now SEER),and currently serves as vice-chair of the Committee on Innovation, Management Systems and Trading and theCommittee on Science & Technology. He is listed as one of the top environmental lawyers in Pennsylvania in theChambers Guide USA, Best Lawyers, and PA Super Lawyers.In 1995, he received the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's Award for Excellence. In 1999, hewas presented with the Excellence in Environmental Achievement Award from Bethlehem Steel Company for hiswork on the Bethlehem Works Project, the largest brownfield site in the country. In January 1999, Governor Ridgeappointed Bolstein to a five-year term on Pennsylvania's Human Relations Commission, which is responsible fordeveloping state policy and regulations and adjudicating claims alleging discrimination in the areas of housing,employment, and educational opportunities. He was reappointed by Governor Rendell in 2005 and 2010.M. JOEL BOLSTEIN, ESQ. PHRC CHAIRM. Joel Bolstein was appointed to serve as Interim Chair of the PHRC on April 18,2016, and named Chair in October 2018.Bolstein is currently a partner in the law firm of Fox Rothschild, LLP, where hispractice consists of environmental law and governmental affairs. Hisenvironmental practice focuses on brownfields redevelopment and the reuse of oldindustrial sites. Bolstein assists developers, including homebuilders, with
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYCHAD DION LASSITER, MSWPHRC EXECUTIVE DIRECTORChad Dion Lassiter is a National Expert in the field of American Race Relations. Mr.Lassiter has worked on race, peace, and poverty-related issues in The United Statesof America, Africa, Canada, Haiti, Israel, and Norway, and is called upon frequently bymedia outlets to provide commentary on race relations and potential solutions. InApril 2023, Mr. Lassiter was appointed by President Biden to the PresidentialAdvisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and EconomicOpportunities for Black Americans.He is the current Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, where over his five yearsin this position, he has continued to push the Commonwealth forward in the spaces of DEI Training, UnconsciousBias Training, Anti-Racism Training. He developed and launched a 'No Hate in Our State Townhall' to address thesurge of White Nationalism in Pennsylvania; a 'Social Justice Lecture Series' to provide an outlet for thecommunities in the commonwealth to discuss imperative issues and serve as a Racial Reduction Response teamfor those communities impacted by hatred. He oversees a staff of 87 with three Regional Offices that comprise the67 counties in Pennsylvania. He also manages an annual budget of $11 million dollars.During his appointment, Mr. Lassiter has also developed programs such as, a 'Global Social Justice Initiative,''Black and Jewish Beloved Community Dialogue,' and the 'College Race Dialogue Initiative.'Mr. Lassiter received his master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Social Work,where he was the A. Phillip Randolph Award winner in 2001 and was the recipient of the prestigious University ofPennsylvania's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Involvement Award in 2008.Mr. Lassiter is a co-founder and current president of the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy &Practice's Black Men at Penn, the first Ivy League Black male group of social workers. Since 2003 this transcendentgroup has sought to recruit Black males into the profession, as well as, provide Anti-Racism and violenceprevention training to urban and suburban schools around the country and diversity and inclusion training forcorporate entities and penal systems.Mr. Lassiter has been recognized by the Philadelphia Tribune as “The Most Influential African American Leaderfrom 2010-2022," as “Who's Who among African-Americans" 17th edition in 2004 with such notables as ColinPowell and Michael Jordan. On November 18, 2019, Mr. Lassiter was inducted into the University of Pennsylvania'sSchool of Social Policy and Practice Alumni Hall of Fame. On October 26, 2021, Mr. Lassiter was chosen as NationalAssociation of Social Workers, Pennsylvania Chapter Social Worker of the Year for 2021. He was the recipient ofthe 2023 International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies' International Award. He has also beenrecognized by City & State's 2022 Pennsylvania Fifty Over 50; City & State's 2022 Pennsylvania Impact 50; City &State's 2023 Pennsylvania Impact 75; City and State's 2022 & 2023 Pennsylvania Power of Diversity: Black 100; andPhiladelphia Business Journal's 2024 Diversity in Business.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYPHRC & TEMPLE LAW PAST COLLABORATIONSLessons of Resilience and Courage from German Jewish WomenLawyersMarch 14, 2024This event marked the opening of an extraordinary exhibit, “Lessons ofResilience and Courage from German Jewish Women Lawyers,” whichexplored the lives and experiences of 17 Jewish women lawyers inGermany before 1945 and reflects on the intersection of discriminationand persecution, with lessons of resilience and courage. The exhibit wasopen at the law school from March 14, 2024 until March 28, 2024. An Evening Conversation: Power, Truth, and Courage: AnitaHill and the Evolving WorkplaceOctober 3, 2022This event was a powerful evening of community andconversation as Dean Rachel Rebouché and Anita Hill discussedMs. Hill’s book, 'Believing: Our Thirty Year Journey to EndGender Violence' and current events through her lens ofexpertise.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYWHO IS THE PHRC? The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) enforces state laws that prohibitdiscrimination. In general, Pennsylvania law prohibits discrimination based on:racecolorreligious creedancestry; age (40 and over)sexThe PHRC can help you file discrimination complaints in education, employment, housing & commercialproperty, and public accommodation.PHRC Central & Harrisburg Regional Offices333 Market Street, 8th FloorHarrisburg, PA 17101Central: 717.787.4410 | 717.787.9780 TTYHarrisburg: 717.787.9780If you believe you’ve experienced unlawful discrimination in housing, employment, education, or publicaccommodations, you can file a complaint with the PHRC. You can start the process by: Calling 717-787-4410 Completing a questionnaire, and submitting it to PHRC: Email: phrc@pa.gov Fax: (717) 787-0420 or (717) 214-0584 Mail or Drop off: national originfamilial status (only in housing)disabilitythe use, handling, or training of service or guide animals for a disabilityretaliationPhiladelphia Regional Office110 North 8th Street, Suite 501Philadelphia, PA 19107215.560.2496 | 215.560.3599 TTYPittsburgh Regional Office301 5th Avenue, Suite 390, Piatt PlacePittsburgh, PA 15222412.565.5395 | 412.565.5711 TTY
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYPHRC TRAINING PROGRAMSPHRC offers free customizable training for your team.Download and complete the Training Request Form available on pa.gov/en/agencies/PHRCEmail or mail the completed request form to:phr c@pa.gov, Subject Line: Training Request 333 Market Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101Please submit training requests at least 30 days in advance.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYADVISORY COUNCILSThe PHRC has Advisory Councils throughout Pennsylvania, bringing the PHRC resources andinformation to local communities. These groups of 8-24 volunteers meet regularly to identify localchallenges, develop partnerships, host events, and reach out to community members at risk ofexperiencing discrimination. As an Advisory Council member, you would: Advocate for your community by partnering with the PHRC to take on key civil rights issues in yourarea. Assist community members with filing complaints; raising awareness about each person’s right tolive, work and learn free from unlawful discrimination. Plan events, trainings, and discussions that raise awareness of civil rights and celebrate the diversityin your area, working with the PHRC to execute these events. The PHRC currently has councils in: Adams County Beaver-Ohio River Valley Berks CountyCambria CountyCentre County Cumberland County Dauphin CountyDelaware County If you’d like to inquire about joining an active council, or would like to be part of starting a council inyour area, email: RA-HRPHRCAdvCoun@pa.gov.Hazleton Indiana County Lancaster County Lebanon CountyMontgomery County Penn Hills Philadelphia York County
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYIn 2023, the PHRC launched the Social Justice Ambassador Program. Social Justice Ambassadors are keycommunity contacts that help the PHRC outreach efforts meet the individual needs of localcommunities. As an ambassador, you would:Promote the awareness of the existence, mission, and purposes of the Pennsylvania HumanRelations Act and the Commission. Refer discrimination complaints to the PHRC from community members in the area of housing,employment, education, commercial property, and public accommodations. Keep the PHRC updated on incidents of hate and bias in their community. Notify the PHRC of community outreach activities and provide referrals for any PHRC-led events. Assist the PHRC in finding spaces for outreach events, meetings, and/or hearings. SOCIAL JUSTICE AMBASSADOR PROGRAMSocial Justice Ambassadors are active in the following areas:Bucks CountyChester County Cumberland County Dauphin County Delaware CountyErie CountyFranklin County Indiana CountyLancaster County Lebanon County Northumberland CountyPhiladelphia CountySchuylkill County Tioga County Washington County Westmoreland CountyYork County If you’d like to participate in the Social justice Ambassador program, email:RA-HRPHRCAdvCoun@pa.gov for more information.
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYIn 2023, the PHRC launched a statewide Beloved Community listening tour, with the goal that ExecutiveDirector Lassiter will visit every Pennsylvania county to listen to community concerns. To date, the following counties have participated in the tour: Adams CountyAllegheny CountyBeaver CountyBradford CountyBucks CountyCambria CountyCentre CountyCumberland CountyDauphin CountyDelaware CountyErie CountyLancaster CountyWant to be a part of hosting an event in your area? Contact Stacey Waters at stwaters@pa.gov. BUILDING THE BELOVED COMMUNITY Lehigh CountyLuzerne CountyLycoming CountyMontgomery CountySchuylkill CountySusquehanna County PhiladelphiaTioga CountyUnion CountyWestmoreland CountyWyoming CountyYork County
AN EVENING WITH PROFESSORMELISSA MURRAYTHANK YOUThank you for attending tonight’s event. We appreciate yourcontinued support. CONNECT WITH US
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