Law school renamed in honor of civil rights attorney Ben Crump

St. Thomas University in Florida formally renamed its law school the Benjamin L. Crump College of Law – making it the first law school in the United States to be named after a currently practicing Black attorney – in a ceremony this week.

“We have come such a long way in the journey to equality, but we are not there yet,” said Crump in a statement. ‘The future changemakers and civil justice leaders that will matriculate from St. Thomas will soon be passed the torch from today’s civil rights icons and I have every confidence that they will meet the moment.”

David A. Armstrong, president of St. Thomas University, who also spoke at the ceremony, said the rebranding advances the institution's mission of "building bridges between civil rights advocates and law enforcement."

The development was first reported by Reuters.

Who is Ben Crump?

Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, has represented the families of several Black victims of police violence including relatives of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and is currently representing the family of Tyre Nichols, who died in Memphis, Tennessee following a brutal beating by police officers.

Crump has been dubbed "Black America's attorney general" by civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton.

"We have to make the law matter for us, the least of us," Crump said in remarks at the ceremony. "If the law doesn't protect the least of us, it doesn't protect any of us."

What other schools are named after Black attorneys?

Only one other law school accredited by the American Bar Association is named after a Black attorney – the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University is named after  late Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court justice and one of the most revered icons of the civil rights movement.

Go deeper:

►Who is Ben Crump?: ‘Black America’s attorney general’ on justice, equality and accountability

►Related: Tyre Nichols' death is the latest example of a minor traffic stop turning deadly, experts say

►Related: Former Memphis police officer took photos of Tyre Nichols after beating, documents say

►On police accountability: Black chiefs pushing police reform face racism, anger from officers and their communities

►More: Why some law schools are removing the 'great' Chief Justice John Marshall from their names

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump sees law school renamed in his honor