Annual Derrick Bell Lecture
2026 Annual Derrick Bell Lecture Event Details Coming Soon
Who was Derrick Bell?
A national thought leader on civil rights and the understanding of racism and American law, Derrick Bell was a historic choice as Oregon Law’s first Black dean. Bell served as dean from 1981-85, resigning in protest of the school’s decision to not offer a faculty position to an Asian American woman. Prior to his time at Oregon Law, Bell published the original casebook for teaching race-related law courses, “Race, Racism, and American Law,” which is now a standard textbook in US law schools.
Oregon Law hosted the first Derrick Bell Lecture in 2013 to showcase scholars working in the areas of civil rights and race in the law, in legal education, and in the legal profession. In 2017, the Derrick Bell Lecture became part of the UO African American Workshop and Lecture Series, sponsored by the Division of Equity and Inclusion and the Office of the President.
Bell is considered one of the most influential voices in the foundation of Critical Race Theory, a framework that examines society and culture as they connect to race, law, and power.
Past Derrick Bell Lecture Speakers
- 2013 Ian Haney-Lopez
- 2017 Barbara Arwine
- 2024 Leonard M. Baynes
- 2025 Kimberly West-Faulcon
Past Derrick Bell Lecture Videos
2020 Derrick Bell Lecture
2021 Derrick Bell Lecture
2022 Derrick Bell Lecture
2023 Derrick Bell Lecture
2025 Derrick Bell Lecture