CLRP hosts Duke Centennial event with David Robinson II JD ’64
On March 27, 2025, the Center on Law, Race & Policy (CLRP) hosted a Duke 100 Centennial event, Democracy and Rights: A Conversation with David Robinson, II (Law ’64). In 1961, David Robinson, II made history as one of the first three Black students to integrate Duke. Mr. Robinson’s enrollment changed the University forever, setting Duke on a path to becoming more inclusive and forging the foundation for the community we enjoy today. Mr. Robinson had a distinguished career following his graduation from Duke Law in 1964, serving as attorney for the Federal Reserve, senior counsel for the Xerox Corporation, and the first general counsel of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. Mr. Robinson now is the only surviving member of this historic group that integrated Duke. He is living history.
During this event, Mr. Robinson shared his inspiring story. This event explored the ways in which democracy intersects with, and is often reliant upon, a myriad of rights and freedoms, honoring Mr. Robinson’s remarkable accomplishments and inviting his insights on, among other things, the state of U.S. democracy and the civil rights of people living here. Professor H. Timothy Lovelace, Jr., John Hope Franklin Research Scholar and Professor of Law, served as interviewer.
Duke University will award Mr. Robinson and other distinguished honorees a Doctor of Laws Honorary Degree during its 2025 commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 11.
This was a Duke Law Center on Law, Race & Policy (“CLRP”) event in partnership with Duke 100 Centennial, the Duke Law DEI Committee, and the Duke Law Black Law Students Association. The conversation can be viewed in its entirety here.
