Getting Started Chapter 1 ESTABLISHING A DIVERSITY COMMITTEE AT YOUR SCHOOL

Table of Contents Getting Started Ideas and Suggestions Tips for a Successful Event and Pitfalls to Avoid Statistics Other Resources Diversity Day Survey

One key asset for any law school is a Diversity Committee, comprised of faculty, staff, and students which is charged by the school with developing and implementing the school's long range diversity initiatives. Here are some steps to begin that process at your law school.

• Determine, first of all, that diversity is part of the overall strategic plan for your law school, as well as the university as a whole. It is important that a diversity committee be a part of the overall strategic vision and not "something else".
• For a diversity plan to be successful it must have two components; it must be measurable and there must be accountability. Committees help create accountability. The committee should develop a scorecard that helps track their progress and aids in reporting to school administrators. The committee might also want to use personnel evaluations to reflect and refine the school's diversity goals.
• It is important that you put together a diversity team, council, or committee of the proper size. Some experts say that more than 10 or 15 members can be counter-productive. It is important to remember that inclusion is better than exclusion. Find a way for willing individuals to participate. It is important to create a broad base of participation. This should include students from all classes, faculty, staff, administration, and even members of the community.
• The committee should define diversity for the school. An example would be as follows [Diversity is: The many ways we are all alike, and respect for the ways we are different.] Diversity is more than race and gender and your committee should create a definition that all law school community members could recite. The plan should include those with disabilities.
• Support for diversity initiatives from all levels of the law school is important, but administration support is critical. Diversity teams should probably be co-chaired by members of the administration. This allows the committee to have authority and legitimacy while serving as an advisory role for the administration.
• The length of the plan is also critical and although it is important to develop a plan that will provide long term sustainable change, it is also important to have some short term wins to create momentum. A plan could be designed for 12 to 18 months. You could then create quarterly checkpoints for consistent follow-up.
• It is important to create plans for the entire school; however, individuals need to understand their specific role in the success of the plan. The committee leadership should indicate specific roles and tasks for each member. As an example, one administration member might have the specific responsibility of appointing an ethnic minority member to chair an important faculty committee for the coming year. For a second example, perhaps the law school's cafeteria would be willing to allow you to use their facilities to sponsor a semi-annual catered luncheon highlighting one or two ethnic restaurants along with presentations/activities/ displays introducing students to the lifestyles and histories of the cultures being featured.
• Diversity training and education is critical for the success of any initiative. The committee might want to develop a "diversity handbook" for faculty, staff, and students to review. One strategy is that during orientation all employees would view a 15-minute video on diversity with a 15 minute discussion afterwards. After employees complete their orientation period, they could receive additional, periodic training Be very deliberate in the selection of training for your employees. All diversity education will not meet your objectives and can often do more harm than good.
• For any diversity committee or diversity plan to be successful, diversity champions must be recognized. Give out awards and show how serious the law school considers the furtherance of diversity within its walls.
• No plan is done without the support of the law school and university administration. Develop a plan outlining the purpose and objectives of a diversity committee. Also research steps your school has currently undertaken so that your efforts do not overlap or trump an existing school equivalent. After you have done your homework and determine that your school could benefit from a diversity committee, meet with the law school and/or university administration along with other student bar leaders to discuss how a diversity committee might be formed.

What Others Have Done in Past Years

• Law Schools Across the Country Prepare for Diversity Day (article, Student Lawyer Magazine, March 2004)(more)
• Northwestern Law Students Host Events for Diversity Week (article, Student Lawyer Magazine, December 2003)(more)
• Understanding the Unfamiliar Through Diversity Day Programs (article, Student Lawyer Magazine, December 2000)(more)
• Campbell University School of Law -- Co-sponsors ABA Chapter, Women in Law, the Black Law Students Association, the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, and the Campbell Law Democrats. Students celebrated a "Diversity Day Luncheon" featuring North Carolina Appellate Judge Patricia Timmons-Goodson who reminded students of Martin Luther King’s vision and the continued need for tolerance, excellence, and leadership in society (Student Lawyer Magazine, Circuit Board, May 2000)

Tell me what schools are doing this year

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Ideas & Suggestions Chapter 2 IDEAS FOR YOUR DIVERSITY DAY EVENTS

Reach beyond the "hero and holiday" models to develop a rich, ongoing multicultural curriculum

• Showcase relevant research projects related to diversity.
• Get faculty and students together for a "lunch time" talk on law school diversity programs and how they can be improved.
• Hold a student/staff forum and invite the community.
• Set up a 'buddy' system for international students to get better acquainted with attending law school in the United States.
• Showcase individuals with a special interest or accomplishment in diversity.
• Organize workshops to recommend how the faculty can work on internationalising the curriculum, or practicing inclusive teaching.
• Display student and/or faculty work related to diversity.
• Host a debate or public lecture on controversial diversity initiatives.
• Invite a civil rights champion to share his or her experiences and present them with an award for their efforts.
• Hold mock trials on diversity topics.
• Develop information posters on a diversity-related topic.
• Invite a special diversity speaker to a student bar association meeting.
• Hold a guest lecturer for the community.
• Highlight diversity support groups within the law school.
• Develop an equity and diversity plan for your school or community.
• Send a survey to faculty and or students to identify problem areas or concerns.
• Donate tolerance-related books, films, magazines and other materials to area school libraries.
• Sponsor a mural about the cultural composition and heritage of your community.
• Volunteer to be an advisor for an area student club.
• Join with a local school and put on extracurricular activities to help students "find their place" at school and learn about their peers.
• Coach a local school girls' sports team. Encourage schools to provide equal resources for boys' and girls' athletics.
• Sponsor a conflict resolution team.
• Ask school administrators what resources they have for supporting gay and lesbian youth. Offer to find additional materials if necessary.
• Assess your school's compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Organize a class or commit student bar finances to improve compliance.
• Donate a tape recorder to a school that is conducting oral history projects. Suggest a focus on local struggles for civil rights.
• Start a pen pal program. Get law students or groups in touch with people in different parts of the community, country or world.
• Encourage your school to go beyond the "heroes and holidays" model to develop a rich, ongoing multicultural curriculum.
• Provide confidential methods for students or staff to report harassment or actions inconsistent with diversity goals.
• Encourage school administrators to adopt Internet-use polices that address online hate, harassment and pornography.
• Discourage the use of divisive school emblems.
• Create a bilingual (or multilingual) calendar highlighting school and community activities.
• Invite bilingual students to give updates, greetings, and announcements in your SBA meetings.
• Celebrate a different "Nationality Day" each year in addition to Mother's Day or Father's Day. Highlight cultural food and history from that nationality on that day.
• Ask the law school not to schedule tests or school meetings on the major holidays of any religious group. Develop a school calendar that respects religious diversity.
• Frequent minority-owned businesses and get to know the proprietors. If your school caters events, choose a minority-owned catering service once every other or every three times.
• Participate in a blood drive, or clean up a local stream. Identify issues that reach across racial, ethnic and other divisions and forge alliances for tackling them.
• Start a monthly "diversity roundtable" to discuss critical issues facing your law school. Establish an equity forum.
• Hold a community-wide yard sale and use the proceeds to improve a park or community center. Celebrate the event with a picnic.
• Build a community peace garden.
• Start a "language bank" of volunteer interpreters for all languages used in your community.
• Encourage fellow members of your law school to be tolerance activists.
• Create a SBA or school diversity website.
• Host a "multicultural extravaganza" with food fair or art, fashion and talent show.
• Create a mobile "street library" to make multicultural books and films widely available.
• Bring people of diverse faiths together for workshops or roundtables. Be welcoming to agnostics and atheists, too.
• Write a letter to the editor if your local newspaper ignores any segment of the community or stories about cooperation and tolerance.
• Present a "disabilities awareness" event with the help of a local rehabilitation organization.
• Make sure that anti-discrimination protection in your community extends to gay and lesbian citizens.
• Have a forum or symposium in which anti-discrimination issues currently before the Supreme Court are debated, discussed, and the judgment predicted.
• Whatever your program - give it a name, motto, or symbol to create the sense of a school-wide campaign.

Keep your law school community and the ABA Law Student Division apprised of your efforts by completing our Diversity Day Survey.

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Tips and Pitfalls Chapter 3 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL EVENT

Make a personal commitment to hold students accountable for their words and actions

When planning your event, here are some ideas to keep in mind that will help your hard work pay off and ensure that your attendees will leave the program appreciating a unique experience.

• When approaching faculty members about presenting a diversity program, talk with a professor about his/her hobbies or research interests. Chances are that this person would love to talk about his/her travels abroad, a community service project, or a hobby that would enhance our appreciation of diversity efforts.
• When seeking presenters (faculty or staff) for your educational programs, try to bring in individuals who represent different ethnic groups, gender, and lifestyles. This can help your school to make contact with people who represent diverse backgrounds.
• When advertising diversity programs, use creative, quality publicity. Student may have difficulty understanding what diversity programs might include. Try to use titles that students can easily understand and which specifically identify the topic of the program. If the focus is stereotypes in the media - say it; if it is sharing of cultures - say it; if it is racism - say it!
• Remember that diversity programming or education must take place all year.
• Use bulletin boards to celebrate a specific culture - ask residents to become involved in this project! While this culture is being highlighted on the board, offer programs or study breaks that highlight the music, art, poetry, food or dress from that culture.
• When planning activities during traditional Christian holidays make a commitment not to "mask" a Christmas party by leaving out "Christ" or holy words. Students will know that in essence the party is meant to celebrate Christmas. Instead, try non-traditional ideas and celebrate all holidays.
• Make a personal commitment to hold students accountable for their words or actions that denigrate or dehumanize other students, including jokes or stories that are racist, sexist, etc.
• Plan early. Promote your event in the law school and in the community in order to provide maximum attendance and create a link between the law school and the community it occupies.
• Even if you do a symposium or roundtable, provide time at the end for attendees to meet and mingle. Having the opportunity to speak casually with featured speakers and champions of minority issues is important to students.

PITFALLS TO AVOID

In constructing a Diversity Day event, it is important to develop your programs in a way that make everyone feel included. There are many common mistakes that student leaders inadvertently make which could hinder their hard work. Here are a few ideas to keep in mind as you plan your event.

• Check the calendar to prevent scheduling your event to coincide with any religious observance that may exclude some members of your school or community.
• Avoid anything that may be misconstrued as a reflective stereotypes or assumptions about any ethnic or political group, lifestyle preference, or gender.
• In your publicity, be cognizant that you are not depicting any groups based on stereotypes or that you have limited your publicity exclusively to one group.
• Research the cultural traditions and aspects for your program so they accurately reflect the highlighted cultures. The agenda and activity offered should convey the message that diverse groups have been included. Examples include calling a Christmas party a "Holiday Party" in celebration of all holidays occurring in the December.
• The scope and publicity should convey an open invitation to all, not just members one group (i.e.: ethnic and racial programs, gender issues, religious concerns, sexual alliances, special needs coalitions).
• Provide means and accessibility to community member with disabilities.
• Prepare to respond to possible insensitive comments or gestures from participants during discussion periods.

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General Statistics Chapter 4 STATISTICS AND OTHER DATA RELATED TO DIVERSITY IN THE PROFESSION

The race, gender, sexual orientation and any disability of lawyers in the profession continues to be elusive

• The ABA Market Research Department provides an array of statistical facts about the legal profession (more)
• Statistics about Minorities in the Profession from the Census (more)
• Statistics About Minorities in the Profession (more)
• ABA Commission on Physical and Mental Disability Law's Annual Goal IX Report on the representation of lawyers with disabilities in ABA leadership roles (2005-2006)
• ABA Commission on Women Goal IX Report on the advancement of women lawyers into ABA leadership positions (2005-2006)
• Links and Resources for Minority Students (more)
• Various statistics measuring gender ratios, individuals of color, sexual orientation and those with disabilities in the profession and in pro bono services in communities of color are provided by Lawyers for One America. (more)
• Research statistics regarding the lifestyles, professions and barriers to women from Catalyst (more)
• 2003 Survey Results -- State of the Judiciary (published by the ABA Coalition for Justice) -- The results of the survey of state and local justice improvement activities describe what courts and bar associations are doing to improve jury duty and public trust and confidence in the justice system; remove economic, physical, or language barriers and racial/gender bias; establish problem solving courts and procedures for self-represented litigants; and much more.
• Attacking Bias in the Justice System: A Compendium of Program Alternatives (more)
• Statistics regarding Race and the Death Penalty are provided by the Death Penalty Information Center. (more)
• Gideon's Broken Promise: America's Continuing Quest for Equal Justice -- A Report on the American Bar Association's Hearings on the Right to Counsel in Criminal Proceedings (published by the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (more)
• Ground-Breaking Research Project to Answer the Question: Where are the Women of Color? (more)
• Publications and resources from the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity
• Publications from the ABA Webstore

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Other Resources Chapter 5 DON'T SURF THE WEB WITH BLINDERS

Make diversity in your school's programs and activities a priority at every level throughout the year

From ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity

• Calendar of Activities from the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (more)
• Links and Resources for Minority Students (more)
• Diversity Boutique featuring gifts that shows support for diversity in the legal profession (more)
• Miles to Go: Progress of Minorities in the Legal Profession -- Researched and prepared by Elizabeth Chambliss, Miles to Go is an essential reference tool for every legal employer, law school, and anyone interested in diversity in the legal profession. (more)
  

From ABA Division for Public Education

• Ask Me What's Great About America, developed after September 11 by the Indiana Bar for talking to children in the classroom about the constitution and bill of rights and shedding light on the spirit of these documents while exploring their impact on everyday life. (more)
• Raising the Bar: Pioneers in the Legal Profession -- Celebrates those who have contributed to the field of law in significant ways. Highlights include features for Black History Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, and more
• Conversations -- Project designed to further dialogue in our communities and schools about our shared values as Americans in relation to our identities, our civic traditions, and diverse world cultures. (more)
• American Identity, Culture, and Constitutional Principles -- The ABA Public Education's Conversations on Law and Liberty in Times of Crisis addresses five broad topic areas that range from our understanding of American identity to perceptions of the United States abroad. (more)
• Films Diversity and the Law -- Film Suggestions from the ABA Division for Public Education address various legal aspects of diversity. They are available on video and may be shown at free public screenings. (more)

Other ABA Resources for Diversity Day

• Mentoring Program for law students with disabilities (including learning disabilities) from the ABA Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law
• Organize a National Issues Forum on our justice system using "...And Justice for All" part of the Ensuring Public Trust and Confidence in the Justice System program materials designed to help you to plan your own discussion group. (Published by the ABA Coalition for Justice) (more)
• Plain-language "how to get there" booklets, called Roadmaps, on hot topics--such as racial bias, jury reform, and judicial selection--to help citizens, judges, and lawyers who want to improve their state or local justice systems. Recent additions include: Problem Solving Courts, Litigants without Lawyers: Courts and Lawyers Meeting the Challenges of Self-Representation, and Youth Courts: Young People Delivering Justice. (Call the ABA Service Center at 800/285-2221 for more information) (published by the ABA Coalition for Justice)
• Report: American Justice Through Immigrants' Eyes (published by the ABA Commission on Immigration) (more)
• At the 2004 Annual Meeting, the House of Delegates approved a policy opposing discrimination against people seeking treatment or recovery from alcohol or other drug disease. (more)
• Starting a Children's Law Pro Bono Project -- The ABA Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee can pair you with an expert who has started a children's law pro bono program. These experts are available to help develop new projects by sharing existing models throughout the country, designing the internal structure of a program, assuring that programs meet the needs of the communities they seek to serve, and ensuring that the volunteer receive an ideal practice experience.(more)
• How To Start Your Own School-Based Legal Clinic -- The book is a guide for members of the legal profession and law school clinics who would like to get involved helping high school teens with their legal problems so they can better concentrate on the business of learning. (more)
• Clearinghouse of programs and projects from the ABA Commission on Women

Programs/Opportunities to Tie Into Diversity Day Activities

• Judicial Clerkship Program -- Designed to bring judges and minority law students together through structured networking activities. (more)
• Spirit of Excellence Award -- Celebrates the achievements of diverse lawyers and others who contribute to the legal profession and society. (more)

Other Organizations

• National Law Journal's Diversity Scorecard. (more)
• Guidance for programs on the school, law firm, and association level (Provided by Lawyers for One America) (more)
• Common Ground focuses on creating an atmosphere that encourages diversity in the workplace and they have provided a few tips on their website (more)
• Disability Mentoring Day -- Designed to promote career development for students and job-seekers with disabilities through job shadowing and hands-on career exploration. (Sponsored by the American Association of People with Disabilities) (more)

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