An article by Professor Donald Tibbs and 3L Shelly Chauncey has been published in the Washington University Journal of Law & Policy.

“From Slavery to Hip-Hop: Punishing Black Speech and What’s ‘Unconstitutional’ About Prosecuting Young Black Men Through Art” appears in Volume 52 of the journal, published by Washington University School of Law.

The article explores racial disparities in the criminal justice system and traces them to a punitive history dating back to slavery and the rebellion by those kept in chains.  

Slaves prosecuted for engaging in “loose talk” attributed to rumors of revolt were the forerunners of the hip-hop artists punished today for speech that argues for resistance to white supremacy, the authors wrote.

Tibbs, the co-author of “Hip Hop and the Law,” is recognized for his studies of the overlapping issues of race, law, civil rights and criminal procedure.  His article, “Requiem for Laquan: Policing as Punishment and Prosecuting Reasonable Suspicion,” is forthcoming in the Temple Law Review.

Chauncey will graduate in May with a concentration in Criminal Law.