Randall Kennedy (born September 10, 1954) is a professor at Harvard Law School, renowned for his scholarship on race, law, and social justice. He is a leading authority on race relations in the American legal system, authoring works such as 'Race, Crime, and the Law' and 'Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word.' Kennedy's research focuses on racial discrimination, criminal justice, and constitutional interpretation, often sparking public debate. Born in Columbia, South Carolina, he earned his B.A. from Princeton University, studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and received his J.D. from Yale Law School. He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and has taught at Harvard since 1984. Kennedy's perspectives challenge both liberal and conservative orthodoxies, emphasizing the complexity of racial issues. His writings and lectures have profoundly influenced discussions on racial equality and legal reform.
