Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny might not be the first name that comes to mind when you think about complex legal issues, but he’s top-of-mind for at least one law professor.

David Lopez, visiting distinguished professor, is the former co-dean of Rutgers Law and served two terms as general counsel for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He delivered his lecture “The Law and the Liminality of Latine Communities in 5 Songs” to ASU students, faculty and community members on Oct. 18 at the Beus Center for Law and Society.
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Lopez is the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law’s inaugural visiting distinguished professor, and has served two terms as general counsel for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And because he is an ASU alum, the visiting professorship serves as a homecoming for the Phoenix native.

Willard H. Pedrick Dean and Regents and Foundation Professor of Law Stacy Leeds introduced Lopez to the crowd, calling his time here an “extra treat” for law students. 

“He is a brilliant legal mind and a connoisseur of the arts, culture and a music man,” she said. 

Lopez began his hour-long lecture with memories of his time as an ASU student, particularly the impact of the community he formed with other Latino students. They would meet in between classes in front of Hayden Library at the Tempe campus to bond and commiserate over their similar struggles.

“It was a horizontal space of love where we could be ourselves,” he said of the gathering spot, which was a brief respite from the liminalities they faced. Liminality, as defined by Lopez, speaks to an in-between status.

“Laws constructed liminal statuses that intersect for a large portion of Latine communities,” he said. “They often live in a constant state of displacement.” 

Lopez went on to describe several of those liminalities through five songs, including “El Apagón” by Bad Bunny.

“El Apagón” describes the blackouts suffered by Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 and the ongoing displacement of Puerto Ricans due to tax policies. 

The issues discussed in the song are summed up in the 1901 case Downes v. Bidwell, which addressed whether the Foraker Act violated the U.S. Constitution since Puerto Rico is part of the U.S.

The act instituted a civilian government in the territory. The Supreme Court ultimately decided the Constitution did not follow the flag, arguing that Puerto Rico is “foreign in a domestic sense.” 

Another song Lopez cited was “Clandestino” by Lila Downs, which refers to Mexicans crossing the border into the U.S. to go to work — a widespread practice that continues today. The Bracero farm labor program was in place from 1942 to 1964, leaving many with rich lives on both sides of the border. But the practice also makes the group more exploitable, Lopez said. 

He cited the case National Labor Relations Board v. Hoffman Plastics of 1982, in which an undocumented man whom the plastics company hired tried to organize in the face of unfair treatment and was fired. The board awards backpay to those who were wrongly fired, but Hoffman Plastics said they didn’t have to since the man wasn’t a citizen. The Supreme Court did not award him the backpay. 

In summing up his lecture, Lopez acknowledged the rarity of exploring the law through a cultural lens but argued that music is just as effective in conveying essential messages as anything else, if not more so. 

“Music reflects and makes an argument and is an argument itself,” he said. “It’s also resistance against unjust structures.”

Two Arizona State University School of Social Work emeritus professors are among the newest members of the Social Work Pioneers of the National Association of Social Workers Foundation, which honored them for their significant contributions to the profession.

Eddie F. Brown and Leslie Leighninger are among 25 social workers inducted Oct. 14 by the foundation, which created the honor in 1995. Today more than 900 Pioneers have been named. About one-third of them are still living.

Eddie Brown (left) and Leslie Leighninger, ASU School of Social Work emeritus professors, were named as Social Work Pioneers by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation in October 2023. Courtesy photos
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The foundation said the Social Work Pioneers “are role models for future generations of social workers. Their contributions are reflected in every aspect of the profession, as well as in the establishment of social policies and human services programs. They have accomplished this through practice, teaching, writing, research, program development, administration, advocacy, legislation and election to public office.”

Eddie F. Brown

The foundation noted that Brown is an Indigenous elder who has served in top administrative positions in federal, state and tribal governments, as well as at universities and in social work education.

Clinical Assistant Professor Christopher Sharp, director of the school’s Office of American Indian Projects, said he has known Brown for most of his life. Sharp said Brown was the office’s first director, having a major role in establishing the office in 1977 and directing it before going to work for the Arizona Department of Economic Security two years later.

After retiring from ASU, Brown served as co-chair of the National Congress of American Indians National Research Center Advisory Board and on the board of directors of Tohono O’odham Nation’s gaming enterprise.

“His work has had an impact on not only the Office of American Indian Projects, but for all Indigenous and tribal peoples,” Sharp said. “When Eddie left ASU, he maintained his connection to the School of Social Work by providing a site for field practicum for students going into macro practice focused on tribal issues.”

“Beyond Eddie’s service at ASU, to have a male, Indigenous social worker as a role model in the social work profession has been important to me personally and something I’ve been fortunate to have throughout my lifetime,” Sharp said.

Leslie Leighninger

The foundation praised Leighninger’s “seminal work to share knowledge about the social work profession and about social welfare historical developments. Her efforts resulted in an improved understanding of historical developments for other social workers as well as historians.”

Her textbook titled “Social Work, Social Welfare and American Society,” co-written with Philip Popple, gave students “an understanding of social welfare debates in both historical and contemporary contexts,” the foundation said.

Associate Professor Judy Krysik, the school’s associate director for academic affairs, remembered Leighninger as a former director of the school, an early female scholar and a leader in the social work profession.

“Her specialties were in the unique area of the history of the social work profession, as well as social welfare policy. Her textbook with Dr. Philip Popple, ‘Social Work, Social Welfare and American Society,’ made it through 14 editions,” Krysik said. “Dr. Leighninger was also a co-founder of the Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, along with her husband, Dr. Robert Leighninger.”

Krysik said the journal had its home with the Leighningers at ASU for many years, and both of them were often seen tabling at national social work conferences to promote it.

Krysik remembered that conversations with Leighninger frequently involved many historical, research and writing projects she was working on at the time.  

“Beyond all of Dr. Leighninger’s notoriety, she was a kind and professional director and colleague, and is a loving parent and grandparent,” Krysik said. “I cannot think of anyone more deserving to be named an NASW Pioneer — it is wonderful to see her receive this recognition.”

The School of Social Work is part of the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.