Founded in 1980 as Cleveland’s first full-fledged African American bar association, the Norman S. Minor Bar Association holds a yearly gala to recognize trailblazers who have made significant contributions to the advancement of diverse legal professionals and advancing diversity in the legal field.
This year, one of the Ronald B. Adrine Trailblazer Awards went to ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½â€™s own Ayesha Bell Hardaway, co-director of the Social Justice Institute and director of the Social Justice Law Center. As a member of the faculty, Hardaway has taught as a clinician in the areas of health law, civil litigation and criminal justice. Her research and scholarship interests include the intersection of race and the law, constitutional law, criminal law, policing and civil litigation.
In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Professor Hardaway is currently serving as Deputy Monitor of the Independent Monitoring Team appointed to evaluate the progress and implementation of Cleveland Police Department reforms mandated by a settlement agreement between the City of Cleveland and the U.S. Department of Justice. Her research and scholarship interests include the intersection of race with constitutional law, criminal law, policing, and civil litigation.
Her scholarship includes the publication of major articles in the Georgetown Law Journal, the Boston University Law Review, and the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. Professor Hardaway has written on many topics, including reparations and the intersection of labor law and the Thirteenth Amendment. Her most influential work revolves around policing and civil rights, and her most recent articles address issues at the core of her advising and monitoring work for the City of Cleveland on police reform. In short, Professor Hardaway’s writing is engaged scholarship at its best, addressing some of the most pressing issues in law reform today.