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John
Simpkins |
John L.
S. Simpkins, Esquire
African and African-American Politics
October 5-11, 2002
Public Address:
"Birth of a Rainbow Nation: Creation of the New South Africa"
Location: Furman University, Johns Hall 101
Tuesday, October 8, 2002
As the Associate
Director of the Riley Institute, John Simpkins is also a teacher,
writer, and public servant with a strong interest in civic education
and community development. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, John
graduated from Lexington High School as a National Merit Scholar
and a Harvard Scholar. At Harvard University, he majored in Government
and focused primarily on Africa and African-American politics.
As John was
graduating from Harvard the apartheid regime in South Africa was
coming to an end and a transition period to majority rule was beginning.
It was during this tumultuous period that John, age 23, would begin
a two-year stay in the townships and cities of an evolving South
Africa. The world was watching what many thought would become a
war between the white minority and millions of Africans subject
to the whims of an increasingly desperate and conservative white
government. During this period he would do research on the rapidly
changing institutions of this surprising new nation, teach, coach,
and become highly involved in the community development of the townships
and urban ghettos that were the brutal legacy of the old minority
regime.
Returning to
the United States, John entered Duke Law School where he would focus
on International and Comparative Law and earn both the JD and LLM
degrees. During this period John won the highly competitive Keenan
Ethics Program Instructorship, was on the Moot Court Board, the
Dean's Advisory Council, and was an exchange student at The University
of Cape Town. After graduating from Duke, John accepted a position
with the prestigious Washington, DC firm of Baach Robinson &
Lewis. In April 2002, he left the firm to write, teach and work
in community development and public service. His writing appears
in such publication as The New Republic, The Oxford American and
The New York Times Magazine.
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