The Black Law Students Association has an illustrious and distinguished history on the campus of Rutgers School of Law-Camden.

Established in 1969 under the tenure of Dean Russell Fairbanks, the group was originally named the Black Law Student Union. It was the first law student organization started at the law school. The seven founding members include: Hon. Judge Ronald Freeman; Samuel Paul; Barbara Gore, Ali Ramadan; Frank Reynolds, Michelle White-Bates and the former Senator Wayne Bryant.

The Black Law Student Union was created for the purpose of being a resource center for African-American law students to receive information about financial aid. The goal of the Union was to give credence to the financial concerns and academic interests of African-American students – all the while helping to ensure that the students successfully graduated from Rutgers School of Law-Camden. In addition to being a resource for financial aid opportunities, the Black Law Student Union formed study groups amongst its members to foster a sense of collective successful matriculation through law school. The academic success and eventual graduation of its members was a primary goal.

Although the name changed over the years to its current title – The Black Law Students Association of Rutgers School of Law-Camden (BLSA) - the founding purpose of the organization has remained a guiding premise on which BLSA operates. The Black Law Students Association strives to foster academic excellence in its members while also being a resource for students’ personal and extracurricular success. Through community-based programming and coalition building with other student organizations, The Black Law Students Association of Rutgers School of Law-Camden continues its legacy of uplifting its membership and being a viable student-led segment of the Rutgers and Camden communities.