Wayne State University Law School Dean Jocelyn Benson, a civil rights advocate and national election law expert, will be inducted into the 32nd class of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame next month.
She will join nine other noted women being inducted at a dinner and ceremony Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center in East Lansing. Benson is one of the youngest women inductees in the history of the hall of fame, second only to Serena Williams, a 2012 inductee.
Benson of Detroit is being recognized for her leadership as Wayne Law's 11th dean, the youngest woman to lead a top 100 law school in U.S. history, for co-founding Military Spouses of Michigan and for her service as a board member of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
A recognized expert on civil rights law, education law and election law, Benson joined Wayne Law's faculty in 2005 and was appointed dean in 2014, after serving 18 months as interim dean.
When her husband, Ryan Friedrichs, then a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, Benson, working with several other spouses, created Military Spouses of Michigan to offer support and services to military families.
In 2014, Benson was appointed to the national board of the Southern Poverty Law Center, where, before she went to law school, she did work investigating hate groups and hate crimes.
Benson also is founder and executive director of the nonpartisan Michigan Center for Election Law, which hosts projects that support transparency and integrity in elections. In 2011, she was appointed to the national board of iCivics Inc., a nonprofit created and led by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to improve civics education nationwide.
Benson earned a bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College, a master of philosophy degree from Oxford University and law degree from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining the law faculty, Benson clerked for Judge Damon J. Keith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Joining Benson, Michigan Women's Hall of Fame contemporary honorees will be:
- Former state Rep. Maxine Berman of West Bloomfield, an advocate for women's health.
- Trailblazing radio journalist Sue Carter, Wayne Law Class of 1991, of East Lansing.
- U.S. Rep. Candice S. Miller of Harrison Township, the first woman elected Michigan secretary of state.
- Consumer rights advocate Esther K. Shapiro of Detroit.
- Linda M. Woods of Traverse City, the first female veteran to carry an Eagle Staff.
Historical honorees will be:
- Civil rights advocate Janet C. Cooper (1931-2002) of Detroit, Wayne Law Class of 1974.
- Jiffy baking mixes inventor Mabel White Holmes (1890-1977) of Chelsea.
- Finnish community builder, women's rights advocate and businesswoman Maggie Walz (1861-1927) of Calumet.
- American labor movement leader Myra Wolfgang (1914-1976) of Detroit.
The Philip A. Hart Award also will be presented to Genesee County Family Court Judge David Newblatt of Linden during the ceremony. Newblatt, Wayne Law Class of 1991, is founder of Michigan's first and only Girls Court.
Reservations are $150 and include a one-year membership to the Michigan Women's Historical Center. Reserve a spot at www.michiganwomenshalloffame.org or by calling 517-484-1880, Ext. 203.
Published: Tue, Sep 22, 2015
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