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Mission
The Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter (“VSJR”) strives to publish scholarship that will challenge the “neutral” tenets of the law by elevating traditionally minimized or excluded stories and empowering readers from all backgrounds to engage in the pursuit of social justice and civil rights.
Background
The Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter takes its name from the storied Race Relations Law Reporter, a pioneering social justice journal launched at Vanderbilt in 1956 and funded by a $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. The Race Relations Law Reporter was published until 1972 to wide readership.
In 2021, five students laid the groundwork for the journal’s creation as members of the New Journal Student Committee. In 2022, nine students formed an inaugural VSJR Working Group to develop the journal in preparation for its formal launch.
VSJR is a digital-only publication that features long-form articles, short essays and opinion pieces as well as short, solicited contributions on current events and legal debates. As a distinguishing characteristic, we seek to feature public interest contributions from practitioners commenting on major cases and doctrinal controversies.
The creation of the Vanderbilt Social Justice Reporter is an appropriate and timely response to the current historical moment and the need for fresh and responsive perspectives to inform current debates. The existence of a dedicated social justice journal was a missing component of Vanderbilt Law School’s commitment to social justice, diversity, and inclusivity. VSJR serves to fill that gap.
Values
VSJR is the only Vanderbilt Law School journal with an express social justice mission. Building on the legacy of the Race Relations Law Reporter, VSJR provides a dedicated forum for social justice, civil rights and public interest scholarship at VLS and for critical discussion related to this both within VLS and externally. VSJR bridges social justice scholarship and practice by making progressive legal organizations and practitioners a focus of the publication.
VSJR’s internal structure, publication process, and membership will embody values rooted in social justice. Such values encompass racial justice, economic justice, democracy and political equity, LGBTQIA liberation, disability justice, and empowering otherwise marginalized communities confronting the power imbalances of the law. Members should also treat and relate to one another with care and consideration in all interactions.
Journal information
Publishing formats: Digital
Publication frequency: Bi-Annual
Launch date: May 2024
SJR does not charge any publication fees.