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I. INTRODUCTION
"A lawyer is either a social engineer or [a] parasite [on society,]" said the fabled attorney and legendary Dean of Howard University Law School Charles Hamilton Houston, also known as the man who killed Jim Crow.* 1 According to Houston, "[a] good social engineer ... was a lawyer who used [his or her] knowledge of the law to better the lot of the nation's worst-off citizens."2 This is the departure point from which this Article examines the role of Historically Black College and University ("HBCU")* * 3 law schools in the current era.4
Various universities, institutes, organizations, and academicians have recently released data that confirms that African-Americans are disproportionately suffering in American society, and it is getting worse. Collectively, African-Americans languish at the bottom of almost every major quality of life index. Incarceration, unemployment, abortion, homelessness, housing foreclosures, divorce, and lack of adequate health care are but a few of the negative indices that are at extremely high levels in the African-American community. Additionally, graduation rates, income, wealth, birthrates, and two-parent households are a few of the positive indices that are at extremely low levels. African-Americans are in such dire straights that, statistically speaking, we fit the criteria of what Charles Hamilton Houston referred to as the "nation's worst-off citizens."5
In direct contrast to the actual data, public opinion polls reveal that African-Americans believe that we are doing better than we were five or ten years ago-better than our parents, grand-parents, and great-grand parents. Collectively, African-Americans believe that our quality of life in America is improving. As discussed in detail below, such beliefs are the exact opposite of reality. Thus, if there is another group of citizens that is doing "worse-off' than African-Americans, at least those citizens are collectively aware of their dire straits.
To absolve HBCU law schools from any responsibility for changing this current state of affairs would negate Charles Hamilton Houston's charge that lawyers be social engineers.* * * * * 6 Thus, HBCU law schools have a special role to play and duty to satisfy in generating multitudes of lawyers that are skilled at creating social change for the benefit of African-Americans, and thus, by extension, America, Africa, the African-Diaspora, and the entire world.
Since their founding in...