Here are two of my many takeaways from 1L year so far–one surprising, and one not so surprising. First, I find Property Law extremely fascinating. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been shocked. After all, property rights are essential to our everyday lives. The Fifth Amendment declares that the government cannot deprive anyone of three fundamental things—“life, liberty or property”—without due process. But then there is my second takeaway: the government has not always upheld this. Looking at the law with a critical lens, it is clear that unequal administration of the law is as old as the law itself. 

This is where the Heirs’ Property and the Racial Wealth Gap Conference comes in. Hosted by BC Law’s Initiative on Land, Housing, & Property Rights (ILHPR), this two-day conference set to begin a week from today (March 21) will tackle a pressing issue: $32 billion of heirs’ property in the United States is at risk. A wide-range of speakers, from officials at the USDA and HUD to academics and researchers, will speak about the rising racial wealth gap and how to uplift black property issues. 

One of the exciting conference events is a documentary screening of the new award-winning film, Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land. Produced by John Deere and Al Roker Entertainment, the documentary features BC Law Drinan Professor Thomas W. Mitchell. Professor Mitchell founded BC Law’s ILHPR and is a leading expert in studying and aiding disadvantaged people and communities in their pursuit of important property rights. 

The documentary explores the legacy of black farming and how black families are facing land loss due to violence, eminent domain, and government discrimination. This underreported issue has devastated Black families, who already face institutional obstacles in securing and protecting their property holdings. The film shows the relentless battle landowners are taking to reclaim their agricultural rights and create new pathways for generational wealth. 

As property law’s newest fan, having such a prominent land initiative at BC Law, led by faculty at the forefront of this field, is remarkable to me. Events like these take my learning beyond the classroom and into the real world, actually changing lives. I came to law school to advance social justice goals and help others. These opportunities are materializing that vision, beyond the casebooks.

The Heirs’ Property and the Racial Wealth Gap Conference is free and open to everyone. Register for in-person or virtual options for attending (note that the screening is in-person only; you do not need to attend other portions of the conference to register for the screening on March 21).

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Sangeeta Kishore is a first-year student at BC Law and vice president of the Impact blog. Contact her at kishorsa@bc.edu.