Prominent Civil Rights Attorney Benjamin Crump to Speak at TSU’s NAAAHP Gala

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump will be the keynote speaker at Tennessee State University’s 25th anniversary gala for the National Association of African American Honors Programs on Monday, Oct. 31.

Attorney Benjamin Crump

Crump is the noted Florida lawyer who represented the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Terence Crutcher in police shooting cases that made headlines around the world. Crump was also an advocate in the Robbie Tolan police brutality U.S. Supreme Court case, as well as the Martin Lee Anderson boot camp death case.

“Mr. Crump is a highly sought after speaker,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “Tennessee State University is pleased to have him at the gala,” which will be held at TSU’s Howard C. Gentry Complex.

Crump is the 73rd President of the National Bar Association, the largest organization of lawyers of color in the world, representing over 60,000 black lawyers, judges, and legal professionals. He has received numerous awards, including the SCLC Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award, and the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award. Ebony Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 trial lawyers.

“Attorney Crump believes in fighting to preserve the justice that minorities have achieved throughout the civil rights era,” according to Crump’s website.

Gala organizers believe Crump will be an inspiration to students, in particular, involved with NAAAHP, a consortium of 100 HBCUs and PBCUs Honors Programs and Colleges from around the country.

The theme of this year’s three-day conference that kicks off Oct. 29 is, “Celebrating 25 Sterling Years of Academic Distinction.”

More than 400 of the nation’s best and brightest students are expected to attend the conference, as well as representatives from about 70 colleges and universities, including HBCUs and Ivy League institutions like Harvard. A graduate and career fair with representatives from more than 40 top graduate schools and companies from across the country will also be held for participants.

Dr. Coreen Jackson, president of NAAAHP and interim dean of TSU’s Honors College, said the conference is designed to commemorate the vital role the organization has played in supporting honors education for more than 20 years.

“We invite the legal community, the academic community, and the Nashville community on a whole to join us for this auspicious occasion,” Jackson said.

To register or to obtain more information about the conference, visit www.naaahp.org. Tickets for the gala are $85 per person and $25 for students with ID. They can be purchased at www.naaahp.org or at the Eventbrite link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/naaahp-2016-25th-anniversary-gala-tickets-28406159588?aff=erelpanelorg.

Department of Media Relations

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About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.