������Ƶ

Published: March 3, 2023

On February 25, 2023, the UW and the community recognized Dean Tamara F. Lawson as Toni Rembe Dean of the ������Ƶ during an investiture ceremony. The celebration of the appointment of the first Black woman as the law school's dean strategically aligned with Black History Month and the cusp of Women’s History Month.

The ceremony kicked off with a rousing performance of "the Black National Anthem," "Lift Every Voice and Sing," by the Northwest African American History Museum’s , followed by welcome remarks from UW president .

Other speakers included Lawson's mentor, , recently retired professor of international law and human rights and former Legal Director of Amnesty International, and currently a member of both the TrialWatch Experts Panel of the Clooney Foundation for Justice and the Human Rights Watch Advisory Committee on Environment and Human Rights; , the Albert Brick Professor in Law at Georgetown University, is one of the nation’s most frequently consulted scholars on issues of race and criminal justice and serves as a legal analyst on MSNBC; is dean of the Boston University School of Law, the Ryan Roth Gallo and Ernest J. Gallo Professor of Law and a renowned legal scholar and expert in critical race theory, employment discrimination and family law; and , UW Board of Regents member and an American civil rights activist, who gave a concluding word, followed by invitations for President Cauce and Dean Lawson to join the choir as they sang a lively rendition of “You Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around.”

Dean Lawson’s remarks focused on what the community in the room can accomplish together. She was inspired by a children’s book series, What You Do Matters by Kobi Yamada, which centers on what to do with a chance, a problem and an idea.

Below are videos of each speaker’s remarks as well as a recording of the full ceremony and a gallery of photos from the evening.