February is Black History Month and to commemorate the recognition, ABA President Mary Smith says the association honors “the work of Black legal trailblazers who have played pivotal roles in the advancement of civil rights” while also recognizing the need to address “significant racial disparities in the legal profession.” She highlights the gap between the percentage of Black Americans in the U.S. population — 14% — and those in the legal profession — 5% — saying that difference means there is an “urgent need for systemic change.” She also calls on legal professionals to reaffirm their commitment to diversity and inclusion objectives to achieve a more inclusive profession. Read the full statement.

The University of Tennessee College of Law celebrates Black History Month with a Black Women in Appellate Law Panel, hosted by the Black Law Student Association. Panelists will include Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, the first Black woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and Ashely Stewart, the first Black woman to argue in front of the Iowa Supreme Court. This event is Wednesday at noon EST in Room 237.

Nashville Public Radio’s podcast “This is Nashville” is out with a new episode remembering the sit-ins at Nashville lunch counters. As the episode reports, it was 12:40 p.m. on Feb. 13, 1960, when Black college students sat down at lunch counters in downtown Nashville and asked to be served. They sat in silent protest against segregation at the city’s lunch counters, but were met with racial slurs and abuse. John Lewis, who would go on to become an icon of the civil rights movement and later a U.S. representative, was arrested for the first time at Woolworth and would spend weeks in jail along with dozens of fellow activists. By May, six of the downtown lunch counters had begun serving Black customers. Tune in and hear veterans of the sit-ins talk about their experience.

The Vanderbilt University Law School’s Black Law Student Association is hosting two lectures this week in honor of Black History Month. Tomorrow, Judge Rupert Byrdsong of the Superior Court of Los Angeles County will speak from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the school’s Flynn Auditorium. Byrdsong is a 1994 graduate of the law school. On Thursday, Judge Waverly Crenshaw of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee will present a lecture on “Journey to Justice” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST in the same space. He is a 1981 graduate of the school. Next Tuesday, University of Georgia School of Law scholar Andrea Dennis will speak via Zoom on the topic “Prosecuting Rap: Racial and Constitutional Implications.” Her presentation explores the use of rap lyrics in criminal prosecutions. Read more about the events.

The Rutherford Courthouse Museum in downtown Murfreesboro is preserving the history of the area. This month, the museum is highlighting artifacts that honor Black civil rights leaders and the fight to integrate schools, the Daily News reports. The exhibits — "The Fight For Civil Rights: Building Foundations" and "The Fight For Civil Rights: Getting Organized" — are free and open seven days a week. Supporters of the temporary exhibit would like to have an on-going display at the courthouse and some have expressed interest in expanding the offerings to honor Native tribes who lived in the county and Laotian refugees who have settled in the area. The Tennessean has the story.

In honor of Black History Month, the American Bar Association is promoting several resources for lawyers. The 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge invites participants to complete a syllabus of short assignments over 21 consecutive days. Activities include readings, videos and podcasts designed to provide perspectives into Black history, identity, culture and experience of racism in America. The second resource, Black Lawyers in America Webinar Series, offers four videos, facilitation guidelines and discussion questions. Finally, the group republished its 2019 profile of 14 black lawyers who broke down barriers and made history. Check it out here.

The news item “Pulaski Working to Overcome Past” from Feb. 23 should have attributed advocacy for the relocation of the statute of Sam Davis and renaming of a park and sports stadium to Keidron Turner individually instead of the Community Advisory Council on Inclusive Recognition & Acknowledgement (CACIRA). CACIRA is not advocating for relocation, removal or renaming of any statue, plaque or stadium. This news item has been corrected on the TBA Today webpage.

President Joe Biden on Friday officially nominated federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, making her the first Black woman nominated to the high court, the Associated Press reports. If confirmed, Jackson would fill the vacancy created by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, for whom she clerked  early in her legal career. A Harvard Law graduate, Jackson served on the U.S. Sentencing Commission — the agency that develops federal sentencing policy — before becoming a federal judge in 2013. Biden last year nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. According to National Public Radio, Biden is expected to talk about the nomination during his first State of the Union address tomorrow night. Other issues the president is expected to address include rising inflation, Russia’s military advance on Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pulaski, Tennessee, is the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan, but a new group is working to overcome that history and make the city more inclusive, especially for Black residents. The Tennessean reports on the work of the Community Advisory Council on Inclusive Recognition & Acknowledgement (CACIRA), which is focusing on highlighting overlooked historical figures of their city, starting with the slaves who fought for the Union Army. New monuments that are approved will be erected at Cave Spring Park, which is located in a part of the city that was home to many of Pulaski's Black population.

A bipartisan bill that would make Juneteenth an official state holiday in Tennessee has stalled, WKRN reports. The measure, which would legally commemorate the emancipation of slaves, passed a Senate committee this morning and was headed for a full Senate vote but a House panel took the bill “off notice,” essentially stalling it for the remainder of the session. The legislation, backed by Gov. Bill Lee, was being carried in the House by Democratic Minority Leader Karen Camper. “I was really appreciative of him deciding it was important to not only observe the holiday but to make it an official day off and actually fund it in the budget,” Camper said.