Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice

Collage of images. Activists holding signs. Groups at Berkeley Law.

The Henderson Center connects students, professors, lawyers, activists, and thinkers across and beyond campus to make relevant, vibrant conversations about law, power, equity, subordination, and privilege part of intellectual and social life at Berkeley Law.

We focus on building our students’ capacity to be effective social justice advocates for the long-haul, and we  are proud to be the home of this school’s active, diverse, and ever-growing social justice community.

Each week, we enrich the law school by hosting a guest practitioner, alumni, or circle of experts to converse with students and faculty about social justice issues, policies, and skills. We create symposia, workshops, teach-ins, and mentorship opportunities for social justice students, and collaborate with an array of student organizations, from First Generation Professionals to Coalition for Diversity to the California Law Review. We also support students’ summer employment financially through the Thelton E. Henderson Racial Justice Fellowship, and administer two certificates that recognize students’ who complete focused curriculums through the Race and Law Certificate and the Public Interest and Social Justice Certificate.  

We are named after the Honorable Thelton E. Henderson (Class of ’62) and were established in response to California’s Proposition 209. For nearly 20 years, we’ve helped train thousands of lawyers to serve the least visible and least powerful with passion and expertise. We welcome anyone to our table who believes that advancing social justice is an integral part of the legal profession.

If social justice interests you, then join us. Share your voice. You are welcome here.

Upcoming Events

There are no upcoming events scheduled at this time. Check back later!

 

Hon. Thelton E. Henderson

“From every great struggle great leaders emerge. When injustice is the ordinary, these are the individuals who see farther, who dream bigger, who fight harder. They are told they will fail, and yet they push on. They are told what is impossible, and yet they persevere.”

– Hon. Thelton E. Henderson ’62