Nataley Davis | staff writer

Professor Akhil Reed Amar, constitutional scholar and sterling professor of law and political science at Yale University, said that law students are the “sweet spot” for his message — not losing the country’s national narrative.

“In America, lawyers play a particularly powerful role,” Amar told The Duke. “I want to speak to every citizen that I can, but lawyers have, from the beginning, been civic leaders…
and students of the next generation.”

On Sept. 25, the Thomas R. Kline Center for Judicial Education welcomed Amar as the guest for the fourth annual Distinguished Speaker Series, which was held in the Power Center Ballroom.

Amar spoke to about 300 Duquesne students and local legal professionals following the release of his new book “Born Equal.” The topic of his speech emphasized the idea the United States was built on, that all citizens are born free, outlining the key figures who fought to uphold this narrative.

Erin Karsmen, executive director of the Kline Center, said that the series provides an opportunity for students to learn from professionals about topics currently affecting the legal field.

“The program shows students how scholarship and practice intersect, and it gives them a broader perspective on the pressing issues shaping the law and our democracy,” Karsmen said.

Before Amar took the stage, Duquesne President Ken Gormley and Justice David N. Wecht of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania introduced the Yale scholar. Wecht, a longtime friend of Amar, highlighted the professor’s many accomplishments including being the second most-cited legal scholar by the United States Supreme Court under 70.

“Born Equal” is the second installment of a trilogy by Amar, which followed “The Words That Made Us,” published in 2021.

While the first book in the trilogy focuses on the extensive history of the making of the U.S. Constitution, “Born Equal” outlines the evolution of the document following the Civil War, specifically the abolition of slavery. Amar told the audience that there are four key players in his new work including Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

He explained the significance of studying the Constitution and the country’s strong roots in Pennsylvania.

“It’s especially important for this nation, more than most nations, to actually have a proper national narrative, an understanding of who we are, what we have in common,” Amar said. “What we have in common most of all is our Constitution and its predecessor document, the Articles of Confederation, both of which were drafted in this state.”

Amar emphasized that the main idea of his new book is that all people are born equal in the U.S. — a narrative that is in danger of being lost.

“It’s a big idea that you should not be exalted because of the accidents of your birth. 
It’s an enlightenment idea, the move from status to contract,” he said. “We’re still actually living with these reverberations.”

Amar also said that there is a postscript in the new book addressing the present state of the nation.

He said that although the current administration is not what he had in mind when writing “Born Equal,” his message stays the same: it is vital to remember that the country was built upon the foundation of equal birthright citizenship.

“Whether we’re in a Constitutional crisis or not, we are at a moment when I think we would all benefit from understanding the Constitution,” Amar told The Duke. “If we understand the Constitution better than we do, there’s at least the possibility we could come together as a nation.”

After Amar finished speaking, he opened up the room for questions.

Gormley concluded the presentation by gifting Amar a plaque in the shape of a flame, which honored the Spiritan who founded Duquesne with the mission of serving others.

A line of guests promptly formed to greet the speaker, pose for photos and get their books signed during the cocktail hour following his speech. The room buzzed with the sound of hopeful lawyers networking with professionals and university alumni catching up.

First-year political science major Jaiden Gulick-Johnson said that he appreciated the series as an open forum to initiate progressing forward as a society.

“Things are very loud. Things are uncertain. 
I feel like it’s important that we come together to talk about these kinds of really important topics,” Gulick-Johnson said. “It leads to change and it leads it to a different direction.”

Nataley Davis can be reached at davisn5@duq.edu