The Bridge
PLDIC News and Resources
March 16, 2022

Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together
PLDIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
Don't Miss Our Spring Members Meeting!
Join Us on April 7 at the Heinz History Center!
The PLDIC will hold its Spring Members Meeting on April 7 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Senator John Heinz History Center. Members will have an opportunity to network together over cocktails and appetizers. Come and enjoy each other’s company in person!

Attendees will also hear from our speaker Felicity Williams, Deputy Chief of Staff for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. As a racial and economic justice advocate, she led economic development programs, drove effective and strategic communications, and shaped regional equitable development policy; worked to increase Black voter engagement; contributed to the development of a policy agenda for Black Pittsburgh, has been published on issues impacting the Black community, and engaged in successful electoral and issue campaigns from criminal justice reform to education reform. We look forward to welcoming Felicity and learning where the City of Pittsburgh is headed and how the legal community can contribute to those efforts.

At the meeting, members will also hear from PLDIC Executive Director Ena Lebel, who will give an update on the Coalition, upcoming programming, and opportunities for our members.
We encourage all 43 PLDIC member organizations to send at least one representative from their organization to participate in our first (of two) annual gatherings this year. Please register by Friday, March 25 as space is limited.
PLDIC to Host Q&A with Ruchika Tulshyan
March 24 from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Next week, we will host a webinar Q&A with author, keynote speaker, and inclusion strategist Ruchika Tulshyan.

Ruchika's book, Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work, was released on March 1. You may also have seen Ruchika's article from the Harvard Business Review, "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome."
 
Upon registering, you will be able to submit your questions to Ruchika. If you are interested in receiving a free copy of Ruchika's book in after the event, please let us know
A culture of belonging starts with psychological safety

For a bit of context on the importance of psychological safety, check out the article below and then join us for the conversation with Ruchika Tulshyan where we will explore how psychological safety is critical to creating inclusive workplaces.

Read more
www.chieflearningofficer.com
The Pennsylvania Bar Association Joins the PLDIC
Welcome to our Newest Affiliate Member!
The Coalition is pleased to welcome its newest affiliate member organization: The Pennsylvania Bar Association. Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.

The PBA is pleased and excited to join with the PLDIC membership to examine new and creative ways to address the myriad issues and topics under the DEI umbrella impacting the profession in multiple venues.” — Trent Hargrove, Esq. – Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer
Mark Your Calendar for an Upcoming Coalition CLE
On May 11 from 12-1:30 p.m., the PLDIC will offer a CLE on “Deep Retention: Intersectionality vs Tokenism” presented by Asta Kill of the Hugh Lane Wellness Center and hosted by member firm Babst Calland. Lunch will be provided. More details and registration info coming soon.
RECENT RESOURCES
ABA Passes New Rule Mandating that U.S. Law Schools Provide Bias Training
U.S. Law Students to Receive Anti-Bias Training

In June 2020, 150 law deans signed a letter urging the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar — to consider such a requirement as part of a wider anti-racism movement in legal education.

Read more
www.reuters.com
First-of-Kind Diversity Survey Provides Snapshot of Legal Department Workforce
Are legal departments more diverse than outside law firms?

A new survey found that while legal departments are becoming more racially diverse, employees believe they can do more to promote and measure their performance related to diversity and inclusion.

Read more
www.law.com
CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
In honor of Women’s History Month, we are profiling a woman making history – Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court.
Learn More about Her Impressive Credentials:
What to Know about Ketanji Brown Jackson,...

From the moment President Biden promised to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has been the likeliest pick. And that is who he he nominated to fill retiring Justice Stephen G. Breyer's seat.

Read more
www.washingtonpost.com
And What Her Friends Think of Her:
Four Black Women Became Classmates, Roommates, and Sisters

Among the Black women in Jackson’s corner are Antoinette Coakley, Lisa Fairfax and Nina Simmons. The four women met in their first years as undergraduates at Harvard University, where they were also roommates.

Read more
19thnews.org
PLDIC PICKS
LGBTQ+/Ally Night at the Opera is Back!
March 26 from 7-11 p.m. at the Benedum
The PLDIC is invited to join the Pittsburgh Opera New Guard for LGBTQ+/Ally Night at opening night of Carmen on March 26 from 7-11 p.m. at the Benedum Center.
LGBTQ+/Ally Night begins with a pre-show reception from 7-8 p.m. Attendees will have access to the Circles Lounge at the Benedum Center before the performance and during the intermissions — where you can meet others in the LGBTQ+/Ally community.
PLDIC members receive 25% off tickets with promo code EQUALITY. Plus, 5% of the purchase price benefits Dreams of Hope, Pittsburgh’s only arts-focused organization for queer and allied youth.
OTHER EVENTS
Pitt Law Office of Equity and Inclusive Excellence Achieving Excellence Speaker Series Presents Sahar Aziz
Thursday, March 31 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law's Professor Spearlt will moderate a forum featuring professor/author Sahar Aziz which ties the themes from her book, The Racial Muslim: When Racism Quashes Religious Freedom, to the concerns and experiences of Muslims living in the City of Pittsburgh. Then Prof. Aziz will present the keynote lecture about her book, in which she explores this paradox: how could a religious minority be so overtly discriminated against in a country that privileges religious freedom legally and normatively?
ACBA Affinity Group Happy Hour
April 20 from 5-7 p.m.
Come network with other members of the ACBA’s diverse affinity groups for happy hour at Scarpino in downtown Pittsburgh. The event is open to members of the following ACBA committees:

• Young Lawyers Division Diversity Committee
• Women in the Law Division
• LGBTQ+ Rights Committee
• Homer S. Brown Division
• Hispanic Attorneys Committee
• Committee on Law and Disability
• Committee for Diversity and Inclusion
• Asian Attorneys Committee
The Bridge
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