Winners of the 2026 Fred Gray Civil Rights Writing Competition Announced

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW | MAY 1, 2026

LUBBOCK, TX — Texas Tech University School of Law, in collaboration with The Lanier Law Firm and the Fred D. Gray Institute for Human and Civil Rights, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Fred Gray Civil Rights Writing Competition, a national program recognizing the enduring impact of renowned civil rights attorney Fred Gray.

Established to inspire law students nationwide to engage with significant civil rights challenges, this year’s competition attracted more than forty submissions offering thoughtful and innovative perspectives. Gray’s distinguished career included representing Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as well as advancing landmark efforts to dismantle segregation and expose injustices such as the Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

This year’s top honors are awarded to:

• First Place ($7,500): Patricia Cavanaugh, IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law
  Essay Title: Economic Resistance and the Future of Workplace Equality: Reclaiming A. Philip Randolph's Vision in an Era of DEI Retrenchment
• Second Place ($5,000): Kwang Woo Kim, Rutgers Law School (Newark)
  Essay Title: When Rights Exist Without Remedies: Civil Rights Law in an Era of Enforcement Retreat
• Third Place ($2,500): Aidana Burgembayeva, Penn State Dickinson Law
  Essay Title: Litigation as Structural Remedy: Judicial Enforcement of Equal Protection and the Limits of Formal Constitutional Equality​

Each of the winning submissions reflects careful analysis and a strong commitment to addressing complex civil rights issues. In addition to receiving monetary awards, the winners will have the opportunity be recognized at the Lanier Trial Academy in Houston this summer.

“The work of advancing civil rights requires both reflection and action,” said Associate Dean Wendy A. Humphrey, who coordinated the competition. “These students have offered meaningful contributions to that effort, and their ideas will help shape important conversations moving forward.”

For more information about the annual writing competition, please visit Texas Tech University School of Law’s website at https://www.depts.ttu.edu/law/academics/f-gray-writing-competition.php.

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