The Black Law Student Association, "BLSA", was founded in 1968
by Algernon Johnson "A.J." Cooper the former mayor of Prichard,
Alabama, in order to effectuate change in the legal system. The
association endeavored to sensitize the law and legal profession to
the ever-increasing needs of the Black community. BLSA takes pride
in helping its members cope with the rigorous demands of a legal
education while remaining responsive to the needs of the African-
American community. BLSA recognizes the racial imbalance of the
legal profession and one of its objectives is to increase the
number of black attorneys in various practice areas. With this in
mind, BLSA is committed to working with the law school
administration to recruit and retain a greater number of Blacks at
St. John’s University School of Law. BLSA’s activities include: a
speaker series; an alumni dinner; community outreach efforts; and
orientation for incoming students, including a mentoring program
and various legal writing and outlining workshops. At all times,
BLSA chooses to exemplify genuine character, integrity, and
leadership qualities that will radically transform the internal and
external communities that it diligently seeks to serve.