Third-Year Student Wins Swanson Award

Keegan Hudson, a third-year student at the University of Virginia School of Law, is this year’s recipient of the Gregory H. Swanson Award, named in honor of UVA and the Law School’s first Black student.

The award, which Dean Risa Goluboff presented to Hudson on Thursday at an event celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day, recognizes UVA Law students who demonstrate courage, perseverance and a commitment to justice — the character and conduct exemplified by Swanson, an alumnus who was the first Black student to attend any school at the University of Virginia. Though the Law School initially admitted Swanson, UVA’s Board of Visitors issued a rejection. He sued the University in a 1950 federal court case and won.

Hudson’s law school career has been marked by perseverance and a commitment to fostering a sense of belonging for all, said community members who nominated him. His courage, however, was established before he even enrolled at UVA Law.

When rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Hudson — then 22 — was one of two staffers charged with coordinating responses to emergencies for his office, the Office of the Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Keegan barricaded the doors with furniture and held the furniture in place with his bare hands while shouts and fists rattled the doors from the other side,” Professor Kim Forde-Mazrui wrote in a letter nominating Hudson. “The courage and selfless leadership exhibited by Keegan on January 6 are hallmarks of his character.”

Hudson arrived on the Hill after graduating from college with a degree in agribusiness from Alcorn State University. While growing up in Spring Hill, Tennessee, he had watched his dad — who had a college degree and a real estate license — help his grandfather deal with developers who had been picking off parcels of his grandfather’s farming acres for below-market prices. Hudson’s dad got involved to protect the patriarch’s interests as his grandfather sold his final parcel.

“My dad was the youngest of 10 siblings, but he was the one who could represent our family in that whole ordeal and help my grandparents build a new house to live out their last days,” Hudson said. “As I got older, I associated my dad’s actions with using one’s education to solve problems for others. To me, that is exactly what a lawyer does, and it is what I want to do.”

His experience on Capitol Hill — before, during and after Jan. 6 — shed more light on his career options and the difference between politics, policy and law. It also helped instill a sense of resilience as he and his colleagues returned to work and dealt with the stress left in the wake of the insurrection.

“One of the main things I remember from that night was when Speaker Pelosi made the announcement that we wouldn’t be deterred, and we would continue to ratify the vote,” Hudson said. “The decision to return to work immediately after the insurrection has been foundational to my current approach to adversity. I learned that if I can make it through that, I can pretty much make it through anything.”

At UVA Law, Hudson had initially planned to focus solely on academics, rather than leadership and student involvement. But because of the generous support and mentorship he received from other students — particularly from students in the Black Law Students Association — he felt a strong pull to “give back the same way and try to uplift the experiences of other students at the University of Virginia,” he said.

Among a long list of other activities, Hudson served as BLSA president his second year and took a group of members on a spring break service trip to South Africa to conduct pro bono research on international hate speech laws. On BLSA’s moot court team, he placed fourth at nationals. The chapter was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Chapter of the Year and was runner-up for the National Chapter of the Year during his presidency.

In recommending Hudson for the award, Mark C. Jefferson, assistant dean for community engagement and equity, praised Keegan for how he helped BLSA members navigate difficult situations, including the tragic shooting on Main Grounds that shook the BLSA community in November 2022. The three football players who died, a fourth player who was injured and a fifth student who was shot were also Black.

“[T]hrough the entire school year, Keegan’s focus was on holding his community together,” Jefferson wrote, “and he created space after space for his members to express concern and doubt, to question, and to grieve and mourn, while at the same time encouraging them to remain steadfast in their studies and not to give up on their membership within the larger UVA or UVA Law community.”

In counseling his classmates through grief and self-doubt, Hudson doesn’t think he mentioned his experience returning to work for Congress to count electoral votes just hours after holding off rioters. But it did give him a sense of hope when he needed it.

“My prior experience taught me the value of perseverance and uplift, and I definitely think that situation showed me that there’s light at the end of the tunnel if you push through it,” Hudson said. “I am also thankful for having a strong executive board to help us through that process.”

Hudson’s other accomplishments include service on the Virginia Environmental Law Journal, the Law School Curriculum Committee, the UVA Law Diversity Advisory Council, and the Student Advisory Group for the national Law School Admissions Council. He is currently a fellow for the Center for the Study of Race and Law and is a member of the Raven Society. 

Previous Gregory H. Swanson Award Winners

• Yewande Ford ’23
• Rambert Tyree ’22
• Nirajé Medley-Bacon ’22
• Erin Seagears ’20
• Michele St Julien ’20
• Jah Akande ’19 and Toccara Nelson ’19