Legacy Conferences

In 2013, marking the 40th Anniversary of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, The Baldy Center and the Drug Policy Alliance hosted a two-day conference, Leading the Way: Moving New York State Towards a Public Health & Safety Approach to Drug Policy. The convening explored how NY can become a national model by shifting drug policy from a criminalization-based to a health-based approach. Speakers from around New York state, the US, and the world gathered to discuss examples of effective drug policies. Panelists from Toronto and Vancouver offered insight on how those cities utilize a “Four Pillars” model – prevention, treatment, law enforcement and harm reduction. Participants shared lessons and insights about municipal efforts to establish more effective drug policies. 

In Fall 2009, The Baldy Center sponsored the day-long conference, Thinking Beyond the Nation-State: A Symposium on Empires, Diasporas, and Indigeneity. The event was organized by faculty in the UB American Studies Program, with Theresa Runstedtler, PhD, as convenor. Now, over a decade later, the event meets the criteria of a legacy conference in presenting topics that continue to be relevant today.

The conference, Beyond Jurisdiction: Wetlands Policy for the Next Generation, provided an opening platform for scholars and advocates from all perspectives to think about how the narrow focus of recent years has stagnated the thought and action necessary to take the next steps. 

In the conference, Where Now? Moving Beyond Traditional Legal Geographies, participating scholars sought to expand the present intellectual boundaries of the critical legal geography project through a collaborative investigation of new themes and questions. Now, a decade later, the 2012 event is considered a legacy conference.

The conference, 40 Years After the Attica Uprising: Looking Back, Moving Forward, held September 12 and 13, 2011, was sponsored by the University at Buffalo School of Law and The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. Teresa A. Miller organized the conference which featured presentations by experts representing various groups of stakeholders. Now, a decade later, the 2011 event is considered a legacy conference.

The UB School of Law hosted the international conference, Implementing Truth and Reconciliation: Comparative Lessons for Korea, on October 24, 2011. The conference brought together experts from around the globe to reflect on national experiences of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. Co-sponsored by The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy, the Asian Studies Program, and the Buffalo Human Rights Center, the conference offered lessons on the TRC process in South Korea. Now, a decade later, the 2011 event is considered a legacy conference.

The conference, Hydrofracking: Exploring the Legal Issues in the Context of Politics, Science and the Economy, was held March 28-29, 2011, sponsored by the University at Buffalo School of Law and The Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. Horizontal gas drilling involving hydraulic fracturing, also known as hydrofracking or fracking, and its potential effects are important environmental and energy concerns for the nation. This conference provided an opportunity for a scholarly exchange of ideas as well as a forum for community discussion. Now, a decade later, the 2011 event is considered a legacy conference.