Dive Into DEI
By Welcome to the first DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) blog post. Let’s make a splash by supporting our new DEI Committee with as many members as possible. We want to make the Family Law Section supportive of our racial and ethnic groups, specifically African Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic and Latinx individuals. In addition, we want to welcome our LGBTQ+ individuals. As mentioned by our chair, Jennifer Tharrington, in her previous blog post, this is an important new endeavor that the Family Law Section is diving into and hoping to make a splash.
Madison Root and I want to invite you to join our committee as we plan to work on the following items for our initial term:
- We want to make the family law bar an inclusive bar that welcomes all ethnic, racial, and the LGBTQ+ family law attorneys; let’s invite them to join this section and become active members of the section.
- We want to develop a budget for the next two years and beyond to cover the costs of social events and mixers.
- We want to create a scholarship for underrepresented minorities to attend the annual CLE.
- We want to establish a mentorship program to pair seasoned attorneys and section members with new attorneys from the underrepresented groups and social events for the pairs.
While the goals for the initial committee are hefty, we can accomplish them together. Let’s partner with groups such as YLD to bring some of the minority individuals into this section and encourage active membership. Let’s also move this plan throughout the state and encourage our members from the coast to the mountains to foster this committee and its goals. I am honored to be a co-chair with Madison as we intend to make it a great year with many new initiatives. Please reach out to me or to Madison to become a member of the section or with any of your ideas as we are excited to dive into this new and exciting adventure.