NYT: Derrick Bell, a legal scholar who worked to expose the persistence of racism in America through his books and articles and his provocative career moves — he gave up a Harvard Law School professorship to protest the school’s hiring practices — died on Wednesday in New York. He was 80.
… Mr. Bell was the first tenured black professor at Harvard Law School and later the first black dean of a law school that is not historically black. But he was perhaps better known for resigning from prestigious jobs than for accepting them.
In his 20s, while working at the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, he was told to give up his membership in the N.A.A.C.P., which his superiors believed posed a conflict of interest. Instead, he quit the Justice Department, ignoring the advice of friends to try to change things from within.
Thirty years later, when he left Harvard Law School, he rejected similar advice. At the time, he said, his wife, Jewel Hairston Bell, asked him, “Why does it always have to be you?”
…. At a rally while a student at Harvard Law School, Barack Obama compared Professor Bell to the civil rights hero Rosa Parks.
Full article here
Thank you Claire
The Obama Diary 
Thank you for paving a way for our President. May you rest in peace.
Rest in eternal peace you giant of civil rights and equality.
Thank you for so many contributions which have helped us to better under the impact of institutional racism. Also, thank you for laying the groundwork for the best President this country has ever known, Barack Obama.
I am fully in agreement with what you wrote, Claire. Rest in peace – and thank you – Mr. Bell.
Another hero. Another giant. Job well done. Life well lived. Rest in peace, Mr. Bell.
Rest In Peace Mr. Bell, My deepest condolences to his family. So many losses these last few days.
thank you and RIP Mr. Bell
Rest in peace, Mr. Bell. It is always difficult to lose people who make such significant contributions to our society.
What an amazing man!!
May he rest in peace,.
ESPN statement on Hank Williams, Jr.: “We have decided to part ways with Hank Williams, Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years. The success of Monday Night Football has always been about the games and that will continue.”
Excellent news, thanks ChristiMtl.
Yes Chips!! I was VERY happy about this,.
Another brave man who stood up for justice. Mrs. Bells comment, “Why does it always have to be you”?, I glad he had the courage because I know it made a difference.
Ohhhhh, Mr Bell, I just thank you for all your constructive contributions for racial equality, Rest In Peace Mr Bell 🙂 I appreciate you, and I salute you too. I pray that The bell Family will hold on to all his accomplishments, as they grieve 🙂
I remember watching a PBS documentary on candidate Obama in q008 that showed a snippet of footage from PBO’s Harvard days when he introduced Prof. Darrick Bell to the student gathering for some on-campus rally.
Yesterday was a very sad day! We lost two giants who sacrificed so much in the struggle for equality and human dignity. First the news of the passing of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth followed by the news of Professor Derrick Bell. I am thankful for all they did to make my life better. In his inspirational book, “Ethical Ambition: Living a life of Meaning and Worth,” Derrick Bell captures the essence of his life, and indeed the life of Rev. Shuttlesworth. May their souls rest in peace!
Wow!! We loss three great souls in one week.
May you rest in peace Prof. Derrick Bell and your legend live forever.
May he RIP. Brave hero.