Officially Speaking

A Few Steps Forward in a Journey Miles Long

Welcome to a groundbreaking issue of Student Lawyer. We have covered the topic of diversity in past issues, but this is the first time we are dedicating an issue to this subject. The 1998-99 Law Student Division Board of Governors hopes that this issue will become a tradition, coinciding with LSD Diversity Day each April 4th.

This topic is too essential to be addressed simply by idle words or debate. The LSD Board of Governors has taken action to fight injustices, but our efforts must be met with help from each of you to be successful.

Already established is a LSD program that will fund first-time diversity projects at law schools. Working toward a goal of community diversity, the LSD focused this year's pro bono program on problems faced by people with disabilities.

In coming months our website will contain information on how women and minorities can obtain a coveted position as a judicial law clerk. Last summer, representatives of all U.S. law schools asked Congress and the Supreme Court to examine the dearth of women and minorities in federal judicial clerkship. But as we take these few steps forward, it often seems our efforts are in vain.

The heartwrenching reality is that many minorities and women find themselves unwelcome once they enter the classroom. Throughout the country, law schools have seen instances of hate crimes steadily rise. It has become an unpublicized epidemic.

Unfortunately, many law students and faculty remain detached from campus affairs. Even our Student Bar Associations sometimes focus more on issues "all" students care about. With bad publicity and tuition revenue at risk, administrators are tempted to sweep hate crimes under the rug. In some cases they refuse to heal the student body. We can, however, heal ourselves.

To meet this problem head on, I will propose to the LSD Board of Governors that they create an emergency fund to be used by students in the event of instances of hate speech or hate crime. Ideally, up to $1,000 would be quickly available for any student to fund a program, speaker or some other activity to draw attention to the problem. The LSD would provide a list of area speakers and projects that can be implemented quickly by only a few volunteers.

Events like these are not meant to be a quick solution but to begin the complex process of discovering, accepting and celebrating our differences. I cannot promise you that the LSD Board of Governors will approve this program, but I can promise that we will be working on this issue and others that truly affect all students.

I ask each of you to take a few moments to reflect on the status of diversity in America. Recall both the famous and the nameless, everyone who has struggled to advance the basic rights of all Americans. Take time to renew your commitment to working toward the America they envisioned. Imagine a legal education where hate-speech funds are not needed. Ultimately, that is what the ABA, LSD Diversity Day, the hate-speech fund and this issue of Student Lawyer are about-protecting the rights of all citizens by improving lawyers and our legal system.

Bennett M. Miller
Chair, Law Student Division