GEORGE LEWIS RUFFIN SOCIETY

Founded in 1984, the Justice George Lewis Ruffin Society promotes the advancement of minorities in criminal justice professions and greater understanding between minority communities and the Massachusetts criminal justice system. Affiliated with the College of Criminal Justice at Northeastern, the Ruffin Society works closely with the College in the educational programs it offers for criminal justice professionals and minorities. The society also holds a statewide criminal justice convocation every year. In addition, the Ruffin Fellows Program sponsors outstanding minority students pursuing Northeastern's graduate degree program in criminal justice.

E-mail: TheRuffinSociety@neu.edu

Recent Projects

George Lewis Ruffin Society Convocation

The Fourteenth annual George Lewis Ruffin Society convocation was held on Wednesday, June 22, 2005. The theme of this year�s convocation was �Is Affirmative Action Dead? Where Do We Go From Here?� Speakers included; The Honorable Milton L. Wright, Presiding Justice, Roxbury District Court; The Honorable Roderick L. Ireland, Associate Justice, Supreme Judicial Court, and Senator Jarrett Barrios, Chair, Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. This year�s Convocation theme reviewed the pressing issue of what direction the Massachusetts criminal justice system will move, as court-ordered remedies for past discrimination in employment and promotions have expired, have been overturned or have been rescinded. The Convocation sought to go beyond the quantitative analysis of discrimination in the workplace, affirmative remedies, compliance mandates and diversity statistics to the qualitative realm of how to enhance and maintain a diversified, representative and equitable criminal justice system that effectively meets the challenges that it is designed to address in our Commonwealth. The question was raised how we will handle the 21st Century challenge of eliminating bias from employment decision-making, the execution of law enforcement and penal interventions and the administration of justice in the Massachusetts criminal justice system as the complexion of our society changes. In short, how can we be better human beings than our 19th and 20th century predecessors?

"The Long Road to Justice"

"The Long Road to Justice" exhibit tells the story of the experience of African Americans in the Massachusetts justice system by focusing on three areas: how the Massachusetts courts handles the issue of slaves and slavery; how African Americans have struggled to gain equal educational opportunities through the courts; and how African American participation in the court system as attorneys, judges, litigants and jurors has evolved over the centuries. The exhibit includes 16 panels of text and images, a video monitor and a replica of the facade of the old Massachusetts state courthouse in Boston.

Web site: http://www.atsweb.neu.edu/longroad

E-mail: TheLongRoad@neu.edu