By Johania Charles, Miami Times
The St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law is benefiting from restaurant chain Denny’s $3.3 million pledge to support 14 institutions across the country with its new Nationwide Community Alliance. Besides St. Thomas University (STU), other beneficiaries include the NAACP and National Urban League, as well as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, League of Latin American Citizens, National Action Network, and U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, among others.
This philanthropic effort is part of Denny’s mission to collaborate with community groups to recognize civil rights leaders and support efforts that align with the company’s five pillars: business diversity, human and civil rights, education, community involvement, and cultivating an inclusive leadership pipeline.
Attorney Ben Crump speaks inside a courtroom inside St. Thomas University’s School of Law at a ceremony renaming the school in his honor last year.
(stu.edu)
“After George Floyd, we’ve seen corporations make commitments only to find that less than 20% of those companies honor those commitments,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson. “We must as a society move beyond the ‘otherizing’ of our neighbors in this country to ensure we are better. Therefore, I commend Denny’s for standing true to their commitment (and) not walking away. We must all redouble our efforts to ensure that corporate behavior is accountable to all of us.”
At an STU press conference announcing the alliance last week, Denny’s presented a $500,000 gift to the university’s Benjamin L. Crump College of Law, renamed in 2023 after civil rights and personal injury lawyer Ben Crump. The gift will be used to provide scholarships to law school students.
“A portion of (our) investment is an endowment of a $500,000 scholarship fund that we are donating to the St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law,” said Brenda Lauderback, Denny’s board chair. “This will allow this esteemed institution, which is among the most diverse law schools in the country, to continue its mission. It will also prepare the next generation of great legal minds in their fight for equality and inclusion and advocate for the leaders in their communities.”
“We are honored to collaborate with leaders in this new alliance and are grateful to Denny’s for the scholarship support, which will help educate the social justice leaders of tomorrow, keeping the mission of equity and justice alive for decades to come,” said Crump.
