THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE COLLEGE OF LAW
ANNUAL JULIAN BLACKSHEAR, JR. GALA
The University of Tennessee College of Law is proud to honor alumnus Julian Blackshear, Jr. with this signature event. When Blackshear completed his law degree in 1970, he became one of the first African American graduates of the College of Law. By honoring this distinguished alumnus, the college also celebrates its strong and enduring commitment to diversity and inclusion.
2024 AWARD RECIPIENT
R.B.J. Campbelle, Jr. Award
DR. HAROLD A. MIDDLEBROOK, SR.
Dr. Harold A. Middlebrook, Sr. received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1963. He was ordained as a minister in 1966 and attended LeMoyne-Owen College and Memphis Theological Seminary in the 1970s.
His work as a civil rights activist began while at Morehouse where he first met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middlebrook participated in several Atlanta sit ins where he was jailed with King, resulting in a life-long relationship with King and his family. Middlebrook served as youth minister at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where King and his father were pastors.
Middlebrook would go on to direct the Selma, Alabama boycotts and organize voter registration campaigns. He also participated in the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike alongside King. Middlebrook witnessed his friend and mentor’s tragic death, when King was killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. Middlebrook and others were in Memphis to meet with King and plan the next mass march in support of the strike.
Middlebrook moved to Knoxville in 1977 to pastor at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. In 1980, he founded the Canaan Baptist Church of Christ, which he led until his retirement in 2013. In addition to ministering to his congregants, he has continued his life of service in East Tennessee. Two notable examples include the founding in 1986 of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Commission of Greater Knoxville, which he chaired until 2000, and his service as a director of the Knoxville Area Urban League.
2024 BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION AWARD RECIPIENTS
Julian Blackshear, Jr. Outstanding Student Award
BRYCE D. BRADLEY
R.B.J. Campbelle, Jr. Leadership Award
GERRARD COX
Frank Ennix Award for Excellence
TATIYANA LEWIS
2024 KEYNOTE SPEAKER
TERESA WYNN ROSEBOROUGH
As Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at The Home Depot, Teresa Wynn Roseborough is responsible for the company’s legal functions, government relations and external communications. She also serves as a liaison between the board of directors and the company and is responsible for all corporate governance matters.
Prior to her role at The Home Depot, Roseborough practiced law as a partner at the Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan firm (now Eversheds Sutherland). Her professional journey also includes an impressive record of government service. She served as deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice and worked with the U.S. Department of Defense in the Federal Republic of Germany. She also clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and Judge James Dickson Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Roseborough earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in education from Boston University, and a juris doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the Law Review.
A LOOK BACK AT THE
2024 JULIAN BLACKSHEAR, JR. GALA
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
EXCLUSIVE TITLE SPONSOR
SUPPORTING SPONSOR
Brock Shipe Klenk PLC
TABLE SPONSORS
Paine, Bickers, Elder, King & Williams, LLP
Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC
Professor Michelle Kwon
Knoxville Area Urban League
Elaine Eberhart & Rev. Linda Miner
Lewis Thomason, PC
Reaves Law Firm, PLLC
University of Tennessee College of Law Legal Clinic
Richard Rose
Col. and Mrs. Wayne E. Dillingham
Lamont Belk and Brooklyn Sawyers Belk
University of Tennessee Division of Access and Engagement
City of Knoxville
Polsinelli PC
Bass Berry & Sims PLC
Beth Ford & Mike Driskill
Prof. Birana Rosenbaum, in Honor of Robert E. Williams
Husch Blackwell LLP
Lonnie T. Brown, Jr. and Kim Brown
Donald & Deborah Bradley/PlanNet Marketing Inc.
Maynard Nexsen PC
SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024
Each year we gather for this signature event to honor our distinguished alumnus, Julian Blackshear, Jr., one of our first African American graduates, and in doing so we also celebrate the College of Law’s strong and enduring commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The event will take place at:
Knoxville Convention Center
701 Henley Street | Knoxville, Tennessee
Enjoy cocktails at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the ceremony at 6 p.m
Besides being an important commemoration of Julian Blackshear’s legacy and that of other trailblazing African American graduates, the gala also serves as a vehicle for raising critical scholarship dollars for the Julian Blackshear Scholarship Fund, which enables us to recruit and attract an increasingly talented and diverse student body.
We hope you will join the University of Tennessee College of Law and UT Law’s Black Law Students Association for this year’s gala featuring special guests
TERESA WYNN ROSEBOROUGH
Home Depot Executive Vice President,
General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Honoring RBJ Campbelle, Jr. Award recipient
DR. HAROLD MIDDLEBROOK
Renowned Civil Rights Leader
