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We are all in this together
Diversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.
-Jacqueline Woodson
Diversity is not about how we differ.
Diversity is about embracing one another’s uniqueness.
-Ola Joseph
Diversity is the art of thinking independently together.
-Malcolm Forbes
Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one.
-Thomas Perez
Many meaningful and profound quotes can be found on the topic of diversity. These are just a few of my favorites which, in my opinion, capture the essence of diversity. These quotes also offer reasons how and why we should embrace diversity throughout all facets of our society. I agree with Roger Wilkins who said: “We have no hope of solving our problems without harnessing the diversity, the energy, and the creativity of all our people.” And yet, perhaps the last quote above speaks to me the most. The term “American Dream” has been prevalent throughout my ISBA presidency this past year--and for good reason.
I am extremely proud to have served as the 139th President of the Illinois State Bar Association. I am even more proud to say that, having been born in Sicily, I am the ISBA’s first immigrant President. The time for this diversity has finally been realized, although I can well remember when it was not as it is today. When I first came to this country back 1964, my widowed mother, with three young children, was not provided the opportunity to realize the “American Dream” for herself and her young family. Even though she was willing, able, and in need of work to support her children, it was difficult for her to find that work and society was not as accepting of her situation as it is today in promoting equal opportunity.
The times were changing though, and by 1977, Carole Kamin Bellows was sworn in as the ISBA’s 101st and first woman President. She was also the first woman president of a state bar association in the United States. While three women presidents followed Carole Bellows--Cheryl Niro, Irene F. Bahr and Paula H. Holderman--we still have more progress to make on this front.
In just a few short weeks Vincent F. Cornelius will be sworn in as the 140th President of the Illinois State Bar Association. Mr. Cornelius will be our first African American bar president. I am proud to say he is among my dear friends and we can all be proud of the progress this symbolizes for our organization. It confirms and underscores that, as an organized group, we are addressing and embracing diversity within our profession. And yet, we must continue to ask ourselves, what more can we do? Which group or individuals are we missing and have not reached yet? We must press on in our quest to be all inclusive.
I know that the challenge for this quest to be all inclusive will continue within the ISBA and its leadership. However, we can be proud of the progress our Association has made over the years, which has included the creation and work of: Task Forces on Gender Bias in the Courts, and Diversity; Standing Committees on Women and the Law, Disability Law, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Section Councils on Human Rights, International Law and Immigration; the Diversity Leadership Council; the Diversity Pipeline; and, the Law and Leadership Institute. We have also developed the Diversity Leadership Award and the Diversity Fellows Program, and sponsored diversity related Continuing Legal Education seminars. These are just a few of the many on-going initiatives and activities where the ISBA is leading in the area of inclusiveness.
While I praise the advancements of how far our profession has come, I fear that I am implying that where we are today is ideal. However, there is still much work that remains to be done. Attorneys serve diverse populations and we need to continue to increase the pool of diversity within the profession. As attorneys we are a voice for the underserved and the unrepresented, and we have a responsibility to ensure justice. Bar associations must continue to create and support committees and task forces with the focus of enhancing the diversity of their members and leadership by increasing opportunities for minority groups.
The law school classes of today are also starkly different than those of decades past. When I attended law school at The John Marshall Law School in the early 1980s, the classrooms were mostly white males, similar to most others in the nation at that time. Today, it is with great pleasure I say that my alma mater is known as one of the most diverse law schools in the nation.1
Today one-fifth of law school graduates are black, Latino, Asian American, or Native American.2 However, such groups still constitute less than 7% of law firm partners.3 Additionally, women now comprise over one-third of the profession, but they are still two to five times less likely to make partner than a male counterpart.4
Law schools and bar associations are cognizant of these statistics and are working on increasing diversity through various initiatives and committees. Bar associations realize the need to increase not just the composition of their members, but more importantly, in order to effectuate meaningful and long-term change, diversify the leadership within their governing bodies. The ISBA has done and will continue to do this. We can look forward to further progress in the areas of diversity and inclusiveness while maintaining our core values and highest standards of professionalism within the legal community.
Together we will continue to promote diversity and inclusiveness within our organization. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as the 139th and first immigrant ISBA president. I congratulate and thank all my fellow officers, the members of our Board of Governors, Assembly, Standing Committees, Section Councils and other committees for all their work and contributions to the preeminent bar association in the country – our ISBA!
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