YOUR MIND
“ MY LIFELONG CAREER IN ACTIVISM BEGAN THE DAY I CHOSE TO ATTEND UC SAN DIEGO .”
Intellectual property lawyer Moorisha Bey-Taylor ’ 08 protects artists ’ creative work .
WHEN I WAS 17 , my parents and I drove together from our small town of Colton , in San Bernardino County , to attend UC San Diego ’ s Admit Day .
My parents were divorced but came together so that we could come to campus as a family . As we browsed the student organizations lined up along Library Walk , they spotted one that caught their attention : the Black Student Union , or BSU . For them to have a moment of mutual agreement , I realized it must be important .
Shereena Turner ’ 05 , the BSU president at the time , greeted us and said she was proud of me for being admitted to UCSD , adding , “ We ’ re just one percent on this campus , and if you come here , we hope you join us .” That moment , so warm and welcoming , was a big part of my decision to attend UCSD . At that time , there were only 189 Black students among a campus population of over 20,000 . My lifelong career in activism began that day when I chose to attend UC San Diego . I wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the Black community . The BSU became an essential part of my college experience , and it was there that I found community . We were a support group , a social group , an activist group ; we looked out for each other . Since then , I ’ ve carried a desire to align my professional work with my community .
After UC San Diego , I attended the University of Oregon School of Law , graduating in 2011 . I worked at a number of law firms , including one where I analyzed the intellectual property docket for Los Angeles each morning . A lot of these cases included copyright and trademark infringement . I began to notice a pattern : Many Black creators didn ’ t have any intellectual property protections . I had spent a lot of time in creative spaces in my life , having a brother who is a 3D character artist and a dad who was in the arts for over 40 years . In 2019 , I started my own law firm , utilizing my legal background in service of Black creatives .
I ’ ve since worked with photographers , visual artists , musicians , even Tarot card designers , helping them to implement intellectual property protections . This work takes quite a bit of foresight : An up-and-coming musician today could be the next Bob Marley or Diana Ross , with catalogues of creative work they need to protect . You never
know what will happen in the future , but with the right protections , that work ’ s value will stay with its creator .
My work is rooted in activism , and it all began that day at UC San Diego . My dad passed away in 2017 , and I now realize what that moment meant to me and my family . He and my mother knew the importance of the campus BSU and the value of finding a community , one that I could be a part of and give back to as well . That was the start of everything for me . My work aligns with my community , and it ’ s incredibly fulfilling to do good and preserve legacies now and into the future .
Moorisha Bey-Taylor ’ 08 is founding partner of the Law Office of Moorisha Bey-Taylor . She was named to the list of “ Top Lawyers Under 40 – Nation ’ s Best Advocates 2021 ” by the National Bar Association and is on the Board of Black Women Lawyers in Los Angeles .
TRITONMAG . COM 51