Northeastern paid tribute this month to retiring University Distinguished Professor of Law, Margaret Burnham. The event held in her honor was one of the most inspirational celebrations of a career that I have ever attended. Scholars shared tales of how Margaret’s work had led them to greater heights and deeper insights. Clients told stories of how Margaret’s career as a civil rights lawyer was built on fearless representation and a willingness to fight, but, as importantly, to strategize for justice. And her former students explained how she guided them on the path to righteous lawyering. I couldn’t then help but select her prize winning book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners as this week’s book. It’s an elegant, poignant history that packs a powerful punch.




