Diversity is Only the Beginning: Inclusivity Requires Daily Actions, 1020 COBJ, Vol. 49, No. 9 Pg. 18
| Author | BY NEETI V. PAWAR |
| Position | Vol. 49, 9 [Page 18] |
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
BY NEETI V. PAWAR
Lawyers and judges of color are often asked to share personal stories of when we have experienced racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions in our professional lives. It's a fraught request. It assumes the audience understands what racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions are and believes that they are real. It also assumes that the audience will accept us as reliable historians of what happened and its impact.
When we agree to share a personal story, we invariably open ourselves up to backlash, often challenged with "that didn't happen" or "you must be misinterpreting what happened." Aside from disbelieving the first-hand account of someone who was there in favor of the assessment of someone who wasn't, these responses shift the focus away from the impact of the experience and away from how we can do better in developing inclusive organizations—the purported purpose of soliciting the personal story. The vulnerability in sharing these stories is heightened when, like here, the story will go through an editing process. I wonder, will there be a person of color at the editing table who is well-equipped to ensure that edits best convey, and do not inadvertently thwart, the point of publishing the story?
Despite all this, I, and many like me, choose to share our experiences in the hope that we have moved beyond telling these stories solely for shock value. We share them in the hope that they will be a learning tool—helping others to identify biased behavior and respond productively.
Many individuals and organizations, but not nearly enough, have committed to learning these skills. And the results are in: organizations with inclusive cultures are three times more likely to be high performing, six times more likely to be innovative and agile, and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.1 There's also a broader movement happening—book clubs, town halls, and countless Zoom chats about allyship are plentiful. I hope sharing my story helps people put these tools and concepts to work to create inclusive environments.
So, my story.
I was a woman of color serving on a majority-white board of a majority-white organization. (The identity of the organization doesn't matter; I have...
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