PROFESSOR ANDREA J. MARTIN PRESENTS AT VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY CHARLES WIDGER SCHOOL OF LAW SCHOOL
March 2024 — Professor Andrea J. Martin delivered a presentation at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law on March 28, titled Jews, Race, and Identity: How Antisemitism is Accelerated by the Racialization of Jewish People. She explained that attempting to distill Jewishness into one classification is unproductive because it encompasses expansive, intersectional identities. Further and more importantly, when those intersectional identities are not recognized, Jews are racialized and viewed only in terms of Whiteness. This obscures the unique, and often oppressed experiences of all Jews, including those of African, Sephardic, Arab, and Middle Eastern descent, and accentuates antisemitic tropes about power. Professor Martin demonstrated commonalities between antisemitism and racism, including how Nazi leadership modeled anti-Jewish laws on American jurisprudence, such as Jim Crow and anti-miscegenation laws. An engaging discussion followed, focused on the need to educate others about the intersectional identities of Jews and to utilize existing laws to combat discrimination.
Andrea J. Martin is an assistant professor of law and recipient of the Penn State Dickinson Law Phillip M. Scott Teaching Excellence Award. Her research draws on constitutional and legal history to explore and analyze current social justice issues including American Indian sovereignty rights, antiracism and antisemitism in education, and voter suppression.
Prior to joining Dickinson Law, Martin spent twelve years as a strategic legal advisor, managing business and regulatory legal affairs at a multi-billion-dollar company. She gained diverse experience in general corporate matters and regulatory compliance, providing astute counsel
and employing a pragmatic approach to law and the needs of the business. Professor Martin also served as a Special Assistant Attorney General in the Appellate Division of the Rhode Island Department of Attorney of General, drafting appellate briefs and presenting compelling arguments before the Rhode Island Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.
She is actively involved in diversity and inclusion efforts and served on the Governor’s Task Force on Diversity, the Governor’s Commission on Prejudice and Bias, and the Thurgood Marshall Lawyer’s Society. She has also taught legal writing in the CLEO (Council on Legal Education Opportunity) program to increase the number of lawyers from diverse backgrounds and served as a chairperson for the 17th Annual Lutie A. Lytle Black Women Law Faculty Workshop and Retreat. Professor Martin has served on the boards of many nonprofit and community development organizations including the YMCA, Caritas House and Pink Out, Inc., and is currently a member of the Penn State Hillel Board of Directors.
Professor Martin received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law, M.B.A. from Suffolk University, and B.A. in History from the University of Rhode Island. Her interests and hobbies include art history, Holocaust studies, and writing.