The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas University College of Law
The Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at the St. Thomas University College of Law Purposefully housed at one of the most diverse access law schools in America, the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice at St. Thomas University College of Law is committed to Legal Advocacy, Education, and Dialogue. Aligned with the College of Law’s objective to promote the dignity of every human being, the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice has four key pillars and will: 1. Serve as a hub for educating the next generation of male and female lawyers from diverse backgrounds who will act as social justice engineers. 2. Execute The Bald Eagle Initiative--named after our nation’s symbol of leadership and strength—which is designed to help Black male law students, who are the most underrepresented cohort within the lawyer population in America, to achieve excellence both in law school and beyond as they successfully transition into the profession. 3. Facilitate bridge-building among social justice engineers, civil rights activists, and the law enforcement community through active discourse and education. 4. Defeat structural causes of inequality that leave Black Americans and other minorities with less access to capital; and helping these groups realize the promises of the Constitution and live a life of human flourishing.
The Center will create innovative curriculum, develop implicit bias training and policies, and curate programmatic instruction modules and symposia that advance its goals related to these four pillars. In addition, vital scholarship dollars will be awarded so that students from diverse backgrounds have access to a legal education that will help them develop the tools to become change agents for good.
Invest in Our Work Per an agreement between Attorney Crump and St. Thomas University, the St. Thomas University College of Law will become known as the “Benjamin L. Crump College of Law” once $10,000,000 for the Benjamin L. Crump Center for Social Justice has been raised. Once named, the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law will be only the second law school in the country named after a black male lawyer. The first was named after Attorney Crump’s hero, Thurgood Marshall.
• Capital Investments • Academic Symposia • Endowed Scholarships
$1,000,000 $100,000 $75,000 +
To support Attorney Crump’s vision and to help our nation live up to its promise of freedom and justice for all, make a gift to the center today: www.stu.edu/crump Please contact Vice President of Philanthropy Robyn Hoffman regarding the goals of the Center or to make a financial contribution at rhoffman@stu.edu or 305-628-6796.
Benjamin L. Crump Benjamin L. Crump represents clients in some of the most important and contentious cases of our time, taking a place in legal history with his pursuit of justice. Mr. Crump’s passion for advocacy has given him the privilege to fight for justice on behalf of the marginalized in our country, a calling to which he remains dedicated. His role in the Trayvon Martin, Martin Lee Anderson Boot Camp, Jannie Ligons (State of Oklahoma vs. Daniel Holtzclaw), Robbie Tolan, and George Floyd cases shows a legacy built around the idea that the Constitution applies to everyone, at every level of society. Mr. Crump has broken barriers in several legal organizations, serving as the first African-American President of the Federal Bar Association for the Northern District of Florida and the first African-American Chairman of the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors. He is a member of the American Bar Association, American Association for Justice, The Florida Justice Association, and many other groups dedicated to the law and the pursuit of justice. A frequent speaker and author, Mr. Crump has been featured in several documentaries including Netflix’s 2022 release, CIVIL: Ben Crump. Mr. Crump is also a frequent contributor to Time magazine, discussing many of the civil rights and criminal justice issues African-Americans face today. He has received significant recognition for his service in pursuit of civil rights and justice for minorities, being included on prestigious lists like The National Trial Lawyers’ Top 100 Lawyers and Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. He has also received the National Urban League’s Whitney Young Award, AKA’s Eleanor Roosevelt Award, the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, and the SCLC’s Martin Luther King Servant Leader Award. Born and raised in Lumberton, North Carolina, Mr. Crump is the oldest of nine siblings and step-siblings. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from Florida State University. He is a congregation member and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. He is married to Dr. Genae Angelique Crump, is the proud father of Brooklyn Zeta Crump, and the guardian of two adopted cousins, Marcus and Chancellor.
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