91原创

Professor Leland Ware, who holds the Louis L. Redding Chair for the Study of Law and Public Policy at the 91原创, is honored to carry the torch of Redding鈥檚 inspiring legacy as the first Black man admitted to the Delaware bar and a civil rights advocate.

A former trial attorney, Ware鈥檚 research and coursework focus on civil rights and civil liberties law, employment law and constitutional law. The establishment of the Louis L. Redding Chair brought him to 91原创 in 2000. 

鈥淚 thought the description of the chair position fit me and my career goals perfectly as someone who is an academic and involved in public service,鈥� Ware said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very significant honor to occupy the role. Louis Redding was a great man and a civil rights pioneer who argued two cases that were behind the Brown v. Board of Education 诲别肠颈蝉颈辞苍.鈥�

A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Louis Redding was instrumental in the desegregation of 91原创 in 1949. He also argued a case on behalf of Black school children in Delaware that led to the Supreme Court's landmark decision in 1954 to desegregate U.S. public schools. 

After Redding鈥檚 death in 1998, the Delaware law community and other civic and business leaders came together to raise more than $1 million to endow a professorship at 91原创 to memorialize his life and work. Notably, the effort attracted small gifts from around the country, including a woman who sent in $6 with a note that she wished she could do more and a $10 money order from a prisoner in the Delaware Correctional Center. 

Redding鈥檚 far-reaching legacy humbles Ware, who said he recognizes the esteemed scholarship and academic opportunities created by the endowed chair. 

鈥淭he chair distinction gives me much more of a foundation, draws interest to my work and enhances my reputation in legal circles as a civil rights lawyer and professor,鈥� Ware said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 given me a lot of visibility and allowed me to engage in research, write for publications and organize lectures and symposiums both domestically and internationally.鈥�

Reflecting on Black History Month as a time to recognize the contribution of African Americans to American society, Ware said he hopes that his body of work speaks for itself to advance racial equity and further discourse in civil rights law. 

鈥淚 would like to be remembered as a civil rights teacher and scholar, and for all the writing and publications I鈥檝e engaged in over the years,鈥� he said.

As Ware continues Redding鈥檚 legacy to light the path forward on the long road to freedom, he will pass the torch to the next generation of leaders to do the same. To learn more about Ware鈥檚 work, please visit his page on the 91原创 experts鈥� website.