Vinay Harpalani, J.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Law, UNM Law School
Don L. & Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law
I chose to affiliate with the UNM Department of African Studies for three reasons. First, Africana Studies departments and programs across the nation were born of protests for social change. They have long been hubs of student activism to promote racial equity, justice, and diversity. And while Africana Studies focuses on the resilience and unity of Black people across the world, it has also served as an inspiration for upliftment of all people of color. Second, my own scholarship combines law with Africana Studies and Asian American Studies. I aim to build bridges between different groups of people of color, in a time when we are often pitted against each other on issues like affirmative action. My presence in Africana Studies is part of this effort. Third, UNM--and New Mexico more generally--has a unique history with respect to Black people. Although the Black community here is smaller than many places, it is very active and involved, and its presence is felt on campus and in the local sphere. Africana Studies is at the center of that presence.
Don L. & Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law
Biography
Vinay Harpalani is Professor of Law and the Don L. and Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law, where he teaches courses in constitutional law, civil procedure, employment discrimination, and race and law. He is also Affiliated Faculty in the Department of Africana Studies and a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Asian American Pacific Islander Resource Center at the University of New Mexico. Professor Harpalani received the 2017 Derrick A. Bell, Jr. Award from the Association of American Law Schools Section on Minority Groups and the 2016 Junior Teaching Faculty Award from the Society of American Law Teachers. The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy recommended him to the Biden-Harris White House as a potential judicial nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Professor Harpalani’s scholarship examines racial identity, diversity, and equity from an interdisciplinary perspective which integrates law with social sciences and ethnic studies. He has worked with NAACP Legal Defense Fund and other civil rights organizations to defend racial diversity initiatives in higher education. Seven of Professor Harpalani’s law review articles were cited in 15 separate U.S. Supreme Court amicus briefs in Fisher v. University of Texas and SFFA v. Harvard/UNC, and his articles have also been quoted or cited in judicial opinions from the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He has been quoted in various national media outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and TIME. Additionally, Professor Harpalani has written about Asian and South Asian American racial identity, skin color discrimination law, and racial identity development among Black children. He received his bachelors’ degrees from the University of Delaware, his masters’ degrees and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. Professor Harpalani grew up in New Castle County, Delaware, where his experiences with school desegregation led to his interest in race and law.Why Africana Studies
I chose to affiliate with the UNM Department of African Studies for three reasons. First, Africana Studies departments and programs across the nation were born of protests for social change. They have long been hubs of student activism to promote racial equity, justice, and diversity. And while Africana Studies focuses on the resilience and unity of Black people across the world, it has also served as an inspiration for upliftment of all people of color. Second, my own scholarship combines law with Africana Studies and Asian American Studies. I aim to build bridges between different groups of people of color, in a time when we are often pitted against each other on issues like affirmative action. My presence in Africana Studies is part of this effort. Third, UNM--and New Mexico more generally--has a unique history with respect to Black people. Although the Black community here is smaller than many places, it is very active and involved, and its presence is felt on campus and in the local sphere. Africana Studies is at the center of that presence.
