April 14 e-mail 2 from Sushma Gandhi

Sushma Gandhi to Octavian, Adora, mikuo, ldellatorre, section1 09, minow, csharkey, heymann

4/14/07

I love Section 1 too! A lot. The thought of years at HLS without Section 1 make me want to cry. You have all helped/pushed me/inspired me in so many different ways, and I am so grateful, especially to know the people who I disagree with. You have really helped me grow.

I think the four people who wrote the letter feel the same way. Their letter to Dean Kagan was miscast as an attack on students in Section 1 or an attempt to stifle dialogue within it. Actually, it is a letter asking for institutional modifications to promote a more complete and thorough legal education, which I think would result in better, more educated, open and honest dialogue in classroom settings. I think the anonymous email was a point of departure from which to discuss issues that relate to what and how we learn every day. I believe they are open to suggestions on how to improve and strengthen their letter.

I think we have two important projects:

1. Building community, openness, and safe spaces for discussion for all of Section 1.

2. Changing how the law is taught at HLS to address the law’s role in perpetuating/changing/promoting social inequality; to include learning not only the law it is it today, but how it could/should be (or was, in some cases) and what we can do to move “the law” in that direction. This knowledge is a part of us becoming the most innovative, aggressive and well educated practitioners of the law possible.

I think those objectives have intertwined but distinct strategies and I look forward to pursuing both of them, with all of you.

Yours with deep affection,

Shonu

____________________

Harvard Law School
J.D. Candidate, 2009
(203) [phone number omitted from web post]
sgandhi@law.harvard.edu