History and hope

Dean Makau Mutua gave the keynote address in Buffalo's City Hall in honor of
Black History Month

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Makau W. Mutua, the first person of African descent to serve as dean of UB Law School, found himself in demand during Black History Month. Organizers called on Mutua to give context and inspiration to two major events – one at UB, the other in downtown Buffalo.

On Feb.12 at UB's Center for the Arts, Dean Mutua gave the University welcome before an address by political powerhouse Donna Brazile. Brazile's appearance, part of the University's Distinguished Speakers Series, was celebrated as the school's 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Event.

Mutua noted the connection by saying, "We celebrate the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in the backdrop of the most historic year since he was taken from us. A significant part of the dream of Dr. King has been fulfilled by a black kid born in the era of the civil rights movement. That kid – now President Barack Hussein Obama – sits in the White House and occupies the most powerful office on Earth."

But, Mutua said, "much more remains to be done before we can get to Dr. King's mountaintop. Because public universities mirror the complexity of the world around us, they are ideally positioned to provide a forum where key social issues and ideas may be productively and freely examined, questioned, debated, discussed and interrogated."

Dean Mutua with Donna Brazile.

Also in February, Dean Mutua stood with Buffalo's first African-American mayor, Byron Brown, to honor "the change makers"– people of color who have made life in the Queen City better.

"Although Buffalo has not been spared the torment of race in America, it has been a major contributor to the struggles for racial and social justice in this country," the dean said at the City Hall ceremony. "African- Americans, particularly through the African-American church and their civic and political organizations, have long played a leading role in the search for equity, inclusion and justice in this city."

He added that Mayor Brown is "a critically important role model for our youth who live under challenging conditions but who aspire to live a life of dignity. The mayor – with a plethora of prominent politicians, leading clerics, successful professionals such as lawyers and judges, and diligent parents, all drawn from communities of color in this city – is working hard to give our young men and women a reason to hope and dream big."