From the Nominator

For our cover feature, six students of color at our Campbell University School of Law shared their very personal experiences about race, inequality, and the lack of diversity in the justice system. They shared stories of harassment from law enforcement, facing racism, growing up with incarcerated family members, and their ultimate decisions to choose the justice field to change the system. Each story touches on a program or initiative launched by the law school, such as the reformative justice program or initiatives to increase diversity in the school. 

For the story, the students participated in a photo shoot in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, just weeks after Black Lives Matter protests led to clashes with police officers. Boarded up businesses were still prominent downtown, and some were included in our photography. We also utilized newly painted murals as backdrops for the photo shoot.

The story was a bold step for this magazine. Our audience is getting more diverse, but many of our most prominent alumni attended Campbell when it was 80-90 percent white. Campbell is still considered one of the more conservative schools in the country today, yet the administration fully supported this story.

From the Judges

We felt that these photos as a series were incredibly cohesive and compelling. There was theme in color and mood, and we loved the use of cityscapes, since so many experienced summer 2020 from that vantage point at different protests.