Abdulai Turay ’22 was named the 2021 Law Student of the Year by The National Jurist. Read more.
Abdulai Turay learned about America from afar, by watching TV. To the young Turay, who was born in the war-torn West African nation of Sierra Leone, America seemed amazing. There were things he had never seen before, such as skyscrapers and freeways.
…
He was particularly fueled by the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. He was in high school when Trayvon Martin got gunned down. He’s well aware of the pattern.
“It’s the same story every single time,” Turay said.
Floyd’s death seemed a tipping point, though. Protests over police brutality erupted throughout the nation, and many people of all races ached for change.
And here was Turay, now in a position to make a difference. Like many other Black law school students, he was not about to stay silent.