Expanding Our Concept of Diversity
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Pages | 0042 |
| Citation | Vol. 27 No. 2 Pg. 0042 |
BY HALIMA H. WHITE
In America, when we think of diversity, many of us initially think of racial or ethnic minorities and women. That is not shocking, given the historical struggle that women and African Americans have undergone to receive certain civil rights such as voting and property ownership. And even as late as the 1960s, in the South, classified ads were divided by race and gender, i.e., Help Wanted-Colored Men or Help Wanted White Women.
But the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program (GDP) challenges you to think of diversity more broadly to include, for example, differently abled attorneys, as well as LGBTQ attorneys. Such attorneys face similar challenges with respect to equity, inclusion and perception. But their differences are not always visible, and they are not always championed by the diversity, equity and inclusion movement.
GDP challenge to you aligns with our mission: to provide support to, and to promote the inclusion of and advocate for the advancement of, all members of the State Bar of Georgia regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or age.
GEORGIA DIVERSITY PROGRAM
Established in 1993 by State Bar Past President Charles T. Lester Jr. and Hon. Marvin Arrington, the mission of the State Bar of Georgia Diversity Program (GDP) is to provide support to, and to promote the inclusion of and advocate for the advancement of, all members of the State Bar of Georgia regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or age. Programming is supported by GDP member firms. We are grateful to these firms, a list of which can be found at www.gabar.org/diversity, for their continued support and acknowledge that without their dedication, the work of the program would not be possible.
GDP is walking the walk. We are committed to adding more steering committee members from different parts of Georgia and to providing more programming throughout the state. We are rolling out CLEs focusing on differently abled lawyers with thriving practices and lawyers who are diverse in many ways. While we are not abandoning our efforts with respect to women and racial and ethnic minorities, we are making a concerted effort to be diverse and inclusive within diversity, equity and inclusion.
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