Black Law Students Association

The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is a staple of the CSU C|M|LAW Community. As such, we have many events, projects, and opportunities throughout the year that costs money. Because BLSA is not guaranteed funding through the school, we heavily rely on the Cleveland community to pitch in with donations throughout the year so we can accomplish our goals and bolster the Cleveland law community. Your donation would help BLSA continue to maintain our presence in the community and preserve our future. 

Our organization is hosting an annual scholarship and awards banquet on Saturday, April 1, 2023, to conclude the academic year. Here, we will celebrate our achievements, honor our alumni, and empower the next generation. The theme for this year’s banquet is “The Year of the Black Woman”, representing the need for the legal community to embrace our Black women attorneys empowering them for careers in the legal community.  

This year, we will be honoring Kayla Griffin. Kayla is All Voting is Local’s Ohio Campaign State Director. Griffin previously served as the special project director for the Division of Recreation for the City of Cleveland, implementing youth and young-adult violence prevention, intervention, and opportunity initiatives.

With a background in community organizing, Griffin advocates for voter rights and election protection as the chair of the Norman S. Minor Bar Association community engagement committee and serves the Cleveland Branch of the NAACP as the criminal justice and legal redress chair. She holds a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Public Administration from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University.

We thank you for your support to our annual banquet. Registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing you Saturday, April 1st. If you would like to donate to this event, please make checks payable to CSU College of Law and mail to 2121 Euclid Ave., LB 138, Cleveland, Ohio 44115. Remember to include the name of the project “BLSA Fundraiser” in the memo field.

Athena Williams – President – 2L

My name is Athena Williams, and I am a second-year student here at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. I am from Columbus, Ohio and my interests include privacy and data security, internet commerce regulation, antitrust and international law. I am looking forward to a year of camaraderie and new connections for our BLSA chapter!

Jamya Terry – Vice President – 2L

My name is Jamya Terry, and I am a 2L from Cleveland, Ohio. I graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in International Business. In the future, I am interested in working at a firm or corporation. Outside of law school I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, traveling, and trying new restaurants. 

Robert Dinkins, Jr. – Treasurer – 3L

Robert Dinkins is a current 3L at Cleveland State University School of Law. Robert is interested in criminal defense and personal injury law. This past summer he worked as a law clerk with the Law Office of Keith Lamar, Jr. in Atlanta, GA. Robert is also the treasurer for the National Lawyer Guild and the Latino Law Student Association. 

Danielle Antwi – Corresponding Secretary – 2L

Danielle Antwi is a 2L from Bronx, New York. She has an interest in corporate law and will be serving as the corresponding secretary for the Black Law Student Association. 

David Giddens Jr. – Parliamentarian – 2L

My name is David Giddens Jr., and I am a 2L born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I grew up spending time in different cities every summer traveling with my family and visiting new places. I enjoy cooking and finding new recipes in my spare times or trying new restaurants during happy hour with friends. I hope to one day become a Federal Public Defender within the Northeast Ohio area. 

Valencia Sumpter – Historian – 2LE

Valencia Sumpter is a 2LE from Cleveland, OH. She has an interest of working as an In-House Counsel, in corporate, or business law. She will be serving as the historian for the Black Law Student Association. Valencia has been a legal assistant at Dreyfuss Williams & Associates for five years.

Aurora Santiago-Flores – Recording Secretary – 2L

Hello all! My name is Aurora Santiago-Flores, I am a rising 2L from Athens, Ohio. As a first-generation law student, I do not know the specific type of law I would like to practice, however I am open to any and every opportunity to learn about the law. I hope to be a successful and respected attorney. I look forward to serving as the Recoding Secretary of BLSA.