Compiled for the LCLD Board of Directors every Wednesday, this digest is designed to brief you on the latest headlines about LCLD Members and organizations, as well as thought-provoking articles on diversity in the legal profession, talent development, mentoring, and leadership. Past issues of the Digest are also archived on the LCLD web site.
If you have questions about the Digest, or articles you'd like to share, please email Caitlin Puffenberger at cpuffenberger@lcldnet.com.
This week, in news related to diversity and inclusion...
1. Macy’s Will End Business Relationship With Donald Trump
The Washington Post, 7/1/15
LCLD Member corporation Macy’s, Inc. announced last week that it was ending its business relationship with presidential candidate Donald Trump, after Trump made derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants. “We have no tolerance for discrimination in any form,” the company said in a statement. “We do not believe the disparaging characterizations portray an accurate picture of the many Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Latinos who have made so many valuable contributions to the success of our nation.”
2. Women Lawyers Dominate Senior Ranks, Eye Law Firm Partnerships
The Australian Financial Review, 7/2/15
A growing pool of talented women is dominating the senior ranks of Australia’s largest law firms and is set to break through the partnership barrier in coming years, boosting the dismal number of women at the top. Women now make up more than 60 percent of senior associates at top Australian firms, compared to 24 percent of partners. LCLD Member firms Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Norton Rose Fulbright LLP are mentioned for their high numbers of female lawyers and commitment to improving diversity.
3. A Study Documents the Paucity of Black Elected Prosecutors: Zero in Most States
The New York Times, 7/7/16
About 95 percent of the elected prosecutors in the U.S. are white, and 79 percent are men. Additionally, sixty-six percent of states that elect prosecutors also have no African Americans in office. The numbers are being released as debate continues about racial imbalances in the criminal justice system in the wake of police-related deaths in Ferguson, Mo.; Staten Island; and Baltimore.
4. South Carolina's Senate Casts First Vote to Remove Confederate Flag
The New York Times, 7/6/15
The South Carolina Senate voted 37-to-3 to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State House. The measure still has to come before the House of Representatives, but the Senate’s vote represents an important shift. The state is reevaluating the appearance of institutionalized racism and oppression following a race-motivated shooting in a local African-American church last month.
5. How Silence Can Breed Prejudice
The Washington Post, 7/6/15
Many white adults are not comfortable talking about race or ethnicity, and continue to pass that trend down to their children, according to child development professor Brigitte Vittrup. When parents silence children rather than having an honest dialogue about race, children begin to believe the topic of race is taboo and develop negative attitudes toward those of other races. “Silence about race removes the opportunity for children to learn about diversity from their parents and puts it in the hands of media and misinformed peers.”
