Programs are nice, but if they do not lead to action, or even better, to change, then why bother? So it is fitting that the last program in the 10-month Towards a Culture of Inclusion series asks the following questions:

What to actually do to make our legal organizations more welcoming to everyone is the question that the participants in the Coalition’s Ally-Ready Training Program have been pondering, under the guidance of their Visions mentors, throughout the TACOI series. Both the Ally-Ready trainees and their mentors will be with us on June 23 to help us all consider next steps. In addition, the Ally-Ready trainees will be recognized and Executive Director Susan Yohe will say goodbye to the Coalition.

As we reflect on the past 10 months of PLDIC programming and the past 15 months of a global pandemic and racial reckoning, the Coalition will take a short break to concentrate on transitioning to its new Executive Director. The Bridge will not appear in July or August. Stay tuned for a special communication introducing the new Executive Director to the Coalition’s 39 members and to the Pittsburgh legal community. Programming will resume in the fall.

Photographer Dave DiCello took that fabulous photo of the Fort Pitt Bridge and the city on the homepage of the Coalition’s website (also featured in our newsletter banner above). Check out his photos of the very different Pride celebration in Pittsburgh this year as compared to last. Follow Dave on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more photos from this series.

Some of the members of our Ally-Ready Training Program wanted to urge their firms and law departments to allow for the use of pronouns in email signatures. One was gratified to find how easy it was! If you would like to get on the bandwagon too, here’s a great resource for introducing the use of identifying pronouns in your workplace.

Karen Catlin is the author of Better Allies and The Better Allies Approach to Hiring, as well as a weekly email in which she shares five suggestions for “Ally Actions.” In her April 23, 2021 issue, she reminds us that no one should be pressured to identify their pronouns.

Check out these Pride-themed Zoom backgrounds and social media profile picture templates free to use from Out & Equal.

PLDIC Board Vice-Chair Eric R.I. Cottle is one of 20 Pittsburgh-area People to Know in the Law, along with Board member Jennifer Park, according to the Pittsburgh Business Times. Cottle, a K&L Gates shareholder, is also the 2021 president of The National Black Lawyers, an organization dedicated to honoring the nation’s best Black lawyers in every state. Park is a shareholder at Dentons, co-chair of Dentons’ firmwide Pandemic Special Situations Team, chair of associate development and co-chair of Diversity & Inclusion.

Former Board member and Vice-Chair Geovette Washington, Chief Legal Officer of the University of Pittsburgh, was also featured. See who else active in the Coalition was also named in the full piece, available with a PBT subscription.

Drs. Abdesalam Soudi and Jeannette South-Paul of the University of Pittsburgh reminded the 35 people who attended the Coalition’s May Program entitled Know Thyself, Know Others: Discover the Power of Deep Connections that all human encounters are cross cultural. Accepting those who are different than us is a start, but not enough. Empathy is what is required if we really want the increased productivity, happiness, and retention that diverse and inclusive workplaces bring. More resources on the topic of cultural competency, humility and sharing are available on the Coalition’s website.