TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 20, 2025

The University of Tennessee (UT) last week conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree on Rita Sanders Geier, a civil rights icon. Geier attended Fisk University, then received her master's degree from the University of Chicago and her law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. Along with four other plaintiffs, Geier filed a class action lawsuit against the state of Tennessee in 1968, arguing that Black students and faculty members were segregated from equal higher education opportunities. The lawsuit brought systemic change to higher education systems across the South, including through the 2001 Geier Consent Decree, which provided $77 million from the state of Tennessee to help diversify institutions and fund scholarships. During the graduation ceremony, Geier urged students to bring change to those around them, saying, "Look to where you can make the greatest impact for the greatest number, for the greatest good, and you will find it. It doesn't have to be held in an office position. It can be as a neighbor that looks out for those next door." UT Chancellor Donde Plowman and Law Dean Lonnie Brown were on hand to present the honor. Knox News has the story.