USD’s Center for Cultural Development Presents the Roy L. Brooks Distinguished Lecture Series Featuring Its Namesake Keynote Speaker
SAN DIEGO (October 7, 2025) - The University of San Diego (USD) Roy L. Brooks Distinguished Lecture Series was established in response to the social unrest of 2020 and calls from students, alumni, staff and faculty to actively take a stand against anti-Black sentiment. Specifically, the 2020 Black Faculty letter asked for the establishment of an annual lecture series that would bring an African American scholar to campus.
The lecture series honors the remarkable career of Warren Distinguished Professor of Law Roy L. Brooks. Professor Brooks is a long-standing member of the USD School of Law community; an award-winning scholar; a prolific author of original scholarship; and a distinguished member of the legal profession and community.
Please join us on Wednesday, October 22, for this year's Roy L. Brooks Distinguished Lecture Series featuring Professor Brooks himself, as he prepares to retire after 47 years of teaching. The Library of Congress recognizes Professor Brooks as a distinguished scholar both in the United States and internationally. He is published by prestigious presses, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cambridge, the University of California, and NYU. His books span various genres, including monographs, casebooks, textbooks, and even an anthology. Twenty of his books are held by 4,457 libraries, academic institutions, and learned societies worldwide.
During his talk, titled "Living Memoir: Roy L. Brooks," he will discuss his life and legacy of scholarship, as well as highlight several prominent themes within his literary works that have significantly influenced analyses of social justice, legal theory, and democratic theory. Professor Brooks will share how his innovative perspectives are deeply rooted in his personal life experiences, including the racially diverse middle-class neighborhood in which he was raised not far from his alma mater, Yale University.
In honor of Professor Brooks—an unwavering champion for civil rights, human dignity, and the pursuit of justice—we invite you to support the Roy L. Brooks Fund for Social Justice. For decades, Professor Brooks has challenged minds and inspired hearts through his fearless teaching and groundbreaking scholarship in Civil Rights, Jurisprudence, and Human Rights. This fund will carry forward his legacy at USD School of Law by supporting visiting scholars, speakers, and faculty who share his bold vision: that the rights of all people are not negotiable, but self-evident truths. Join us in ensuring that his work not only endures, but continues to spark change for generations to come. Support the Roy L. Brooks Fund for Social Justice.
The event is open to all members of the campus community, the San Diego law community, and the general public. Registration is required. For questions or accommodation needs, please email Nicole Turner at nturner@sandiego.edu.
About the University of San Diego School of Law
Each year, USD educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.
USD School of Law is one of the 88 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 34th nationally among U.S. law faculties in scholarly impact and 37th nationally in past-year faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.