Hakeem Muhammad knows firsthand that life isn’t always fair.

It’s why the Northeastern University law student is dedicated to representing the least, lost and left-behind when he becomes a licensed attorney. His passion and scholastic savvy has earned him the honor of being selected as the 2020 recipient of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s $10,000 Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship.

In a statement, the Massachusetts Bar Association said the scholarship is awarded annually to a student graduating from a law school in the state who is “committed to providing legal assistance to underrepresented individuals and communities in Massachusetts upon graduating.”

They agree Muhammad embodies such values.

“The Massachusetts Bar Association is very pleased to present this scholarship to Hakeem, who has already demonstrated an impressive dedication to protecting the rights of others through his past public interest experiences,” said attorney Francis C. Morrissey, chair of the MBA’s Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. Scholarship Committee. “We look forward to welcoming him as a member of the Massachusetts Bar, and we wish him well as he gets ready to begin his career as a public defender in Boston.”

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Hailing from the inner city of Chicago where he survived poverty and violence, Muhammad said he knows firsthand the inequities poor, defendants of color face in the criminal justice system.

“Agents of the State are more likely to trample upon the constitutional rights of defendants from inner-city neighborhoods that have been impacted by poverty and institutional racism,” Muhammad said. “Such defendants are more likely not to receive the same level of quality representation that the Harvey Weinsteins, O.J. Simpsons and Lori Loughlins of the world acquire. This is very unjust. I look forward to contributing to the zealous representation of the indigent as a future trial attorney in Roxbury.”

Muhammad’s personal connection with his clients’ life experiences have motivated him to devote his life to “protecting the rights of indigent clients.” He is currently working on a book entitled “To Be Young, Black and Oppressed in Chicago”. 

Upon graduation, Muhammad will become a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPS) in Roxbury, where he interned and helped win critical victories for marginalized defendants including a homeless teen whose rights had been violated by police officers and a murder defendant who was unlawfully arrested, the association said.

“We are excited to have Hakeem join our team of dedicated, hardworking Roxbury Defenders,” said Allison Cartwright, Attorney-in-Charge at the Roxbury CPCS office. “This is especially so as Hakeem interned at our office last summer and is familiar with the communities we serve.”