(See below for correction.)
As the Supreme Court began hearing arguments today on the two cases challenging University of Michigan's affirmative action policies, Penn Law student groups showed that the legislation would not be overturned without a fight.
The conference, which was held yesterday in Silverman Hall, attempted to build a unified front in the face of affirmative action criticism.
The student groups organized two buses to attend today's pro-affirmative action protest in Washington, D.C.
"I think it's appropriate for us to show our support," said David Love, a third-year Law student and President of Penn's Black Law Students Association.
"We are here because we know what the future looks like without diversity, and we don't like what we see," he added, pointing to the University of California.
The school, which stopped using race in its admissions process, has seen a significant reduction in the number of minority students in attendance. This past year, he said, Berkeley's School of Law admitted one black student.
Vinay Harpalani, a Daily Pennsylvaniancolumnist who works for the "By Any Means Necessary" civil rights group -- which organized today's Washington D.C. march -- spoke next.
This is "the most monumental march" since Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, he said.
Maria Gonzalez, a third-year Law student who is the president of the Latin American Law Student's Association, then took the podium to emphasize that all minority communities must unite.
Although the number of Latinos admitted to Penn's Law School rose this year while the number of blacks admitted fell, she said that her organization was supportive of the pro-affirmative action efforts.
"It's entirely too dangerous for us to say, 'It's not my problem,'" she said.
Representatives from Graduate Employees Together-University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia's Black Clergy and the Anti-Defamation League also spoke, each stressing a different aspect of the civil rights movement.
A question-and-answer session followed the speakers.
When asked about the effectiveness of grassroots organizations in promoting change, a variety of responses were given -- Harpalani answered that grassroots efforts have brought about every major social change that has occurred in the 20th century.
Zazy Lopez, a third-year Law student and secretary of the Black Law Students Association, took a slightly different approach, arguing that grassroots organizations must educate the community and work with political and legal efforts in order to be effective.
Responding to a question about the College Republicans' "Affirmative Action Bake Sale" -- cookies were sold at different prices depending on the buyer's race -- Harpalani, citing today's march, said, "We have more important things to worry about."
