PROFESSOR SARAH WILLIAMS PRESENTS AT DICKINSON LAW JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
June 2021 — Professor Sarah Williams spoke on the topic of the Great Migration at the virtual Juneteenth celebration of faculty, staff, students and alumni of Penn State Dickinson Law.
Prof. Williams teaches Property Law in the 1L curriculum. Her presentation was inspired by a New York Times op-ed piece suggesting that African Americans reverse their massive migration out of the south during the 20th century to change the current political landscape in southern states. Prof. Williams described the impact of the Great Migration, discrimination, and other circumstances on the property gap that currently exists for African Americans in the U.S. She concluded her talk by pondering whether concerted action by African Americans, like the one suggested in the New York Times op-ed, could help close the wealth gap in our nation.
Professor Williams is an Assistant Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law; her research focuses on the intersection of federal securities regulation and accounting. Prior to joining Dickinson Law, Professor Williams practiced law as a securities regulator. She was Deputy Director at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and Associate General Counsel at NASD, now FINRA. She spent several years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as staff attorney and branch chief in its Division of Enforcement, then as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Isaac C. Hunt, Jr. Professor Williams began her legal career as an associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C.