Minnesota Justice Foundation's Annual Awards Celebration

At this event we will honor six members of the legal community, including one student from each law school, for their pro bono and public interest legal work. The event will be held on September 30, 2025 at the Campus Club at the University of Minnesota in the evening. The event will feature a social hour with heavy appetizers provided and a cash bar, with both indoor and outdoor space (weather-depending) available for mingling. There will then be a seated portion of the event with a presentation of the six awards and a keynote by journalist and author Lee Hawkins.

About our keynote speaker:

Lee Hawkins  is the author of I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free, an introspective journey into his family history, tracing its roots to pre-Revolutionary America. Utilizing genetic testing, investigative reporting, and historical documentation, Mr. Hawkins explores 400 years of his family’s lineage, revealing the intertwined lives of Black and White families, their resilience and sufferings, and the impact of historical trauma.

Mr. Hawkins is an American investigative journalist and author who was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022. A former reporter for The Wall Street Journal, where he worked for 19 years, Mr. Hawkins covers various dimensions of the entrepreneurship, corporate, and investing worlds, focusing on the generational effects of economic discrimination, including racial covenants, land theft, and the impact of economically motivated historical homicides on families of color. His most recent work documents the lives of Black American descendants of slavery and Jim Crow survivors, exploring the intergenerational impact of racial violence and racism on their families. His reporting also addresses those affected by multiple adverse childhood experiences and childhood trauma, highlighting its long-term effects on health and life expectancy.

His longform podcast series, What Happened in Alabama?, was named a “Best Podcast” by The Guardian and Amazon/Audible and was “Editor’s Choice” among Amazon/Audible’s History genre podcasts. He is also the creator and host of the 2025 APM audio series Unlocking the Gates: How the North Led Housing Discrimination in America. Raised in Maplewood, Minnesota and the historic Rondo community in St. Paul, Minnesota, Mr. Hawkins has been an active advocate for nonviolent social change, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

About MJF:

MJF's mission: The Minnesota Justice Foundation creates opportunities for law students to engage in public interest and pro bono legal service and increases the capacity of legal organizations that serve the public interest.

Donations made at the event support our Summer Fellowship Program, which is MJF's longest running program.