The Honorable Robert L. Wilkins played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, serving as Chairman of the Site and Building Committee of the Presidential Commission that led to its authorization and location selection. Opened in 2016, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. Judge Wilkins wrote about his experience, and the long history of the project, in Long Road to Hard Truth: The 100 Year Mission to Create the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He will join us for a conversation about his experiences and the vital role museums play in preserving and sharing history.
Judge Robert L. Wilkins has had a distinguished career marked by significant contributions to law and civil rights. Throughout his career, Wilkins has been recognized for his dedication to justice and civil rights, including being named one of the "90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years" by Legal Times in 2008.
A native of Muncie Indiana, he obtained a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Following law school, Judge Wilkins served as a law clerk to the Honorable Earl B. Gilliam of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. In 1990, he joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he served first as a staff attorney in the trial and appellate divisions and later for several years as Special Litigation Chief. During his tenure with the Public Defender Service and in private practice, Judge Wilkins served as the lead plaintiff in Wilkins, et al. v. State of Maryland, a landmark civil rights lawsuit that inspired nationwide legislative and executive reform of police stop-and-search practices and the collection of data regarding those practices.
In 2010, President Obama appointed Wilkins as a U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia, and he was elevated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 2014.