Gilbert Bayonne is a third-year law student at Southern University Law Center (SULC) from Long Island, New York. Gilbert graduated from University of Bridgeport in 2010 with a B.S. in Business Administration. During his undergraduate career, Gilbert was a four-year starter for the men’s soccer team, a member of Haitian U23 Olympic Team, and was named to the Daktronics All-American Team.
In 2010, Gilbert began his professional career soccer career with Polish 1.Liga Club KSZO Ostrowiec. Between 2010 and 2014, Gilbert signed with professional contracts with Hallescher FC (Germany) and Tanjong Pagar United FC (Singapore). In 2014, Gilbert worked as a community organizer for the Long Island Progressive Coalition working primarily in the area of education reform.
At SULC, Gilbert is a member of the SULC Moot Court Board, a Junior Editor of the Southern University Law Review, and serves as the Chapter President of the SULC National Lawyers Guild. As President of the SULC National Lawyers Guild, he was part of the State Chapter’s organizing and mobilization efforts during the peaceful resistance movement following the murder of Alton Sterling.
During the summer of 2016, he recived a legal fellowship with the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. As a Southern University Law Review Junior Editor, his article “Avoiding the Fire Next Time: Foster v. Chatmand and the Inevitability of Peremptory Prejudice” was selected for publication in SU Law Review’s Spring 2017 issue.
Above all, Gilbert credits his family for his strong sense of community and his commitment to improving the social, political, and economic conditions of African people.
