Wayne Law professor to be celebrated Oct. 19

Wayne State University Law School will host a celebration of the life of Wayne Law Professor Emeritus Edward J. Littlejohn on Thursday, October 19, in the Partrich Auditorium, 471 W. Palmer Ave. in Detroit.  

Presented by Wayne Law, The Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights and the Littlejohn Family, the reception will take place from 5:30 to 6 p.m. followed by the program from 6 to 8 p.m.

Littlejohn, who passed away in June of this year, was one of the leading experts on African American legal history and a giant in the Detroit legal community. He played an instrumental role in the implementation of the Detroit Police Commission. He remained active in his academic pursuits well after assuming his emeritus status, recently co-authoring the award-winning book, “No Equal Justice: The Legacy of Civil Rights Icon George W. Crockett Jr.” with Wayne Law Professor Peter J. Hammer.

Working full-time, Littlejohn received his B.A. from Wayne State University in 1965, and his law degree from Detroit College of Law (now known as Michigan State University College of Law) in 1970.  He taught at Detroit College of Law from 1970-72 and then at Wayne State University Law School from 1972-1996, assuming Emeritus status thereafter.

Among his achievements, Littlejohn created the Damon J. Keith Collection of African-American Legal History, a compilation of the history of African-American lawyers and judges in Michigan. The Keith Collection helped lay the foundation for the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights. Littlejohn fully funded an endowed faculty chair—the Littlejohn Family Chair—in the Keith Center as another dimension of his legacy at Wayne Law.

To register for the October 19 celebration, visit https://law.wayne.edu and click on “events.”  Those who with to share thoughts, memories, and well wishes can do so online at https://forms.gle/AJ8MMfsXVB36irS86.