The Bridge
PLDIC News and Resources
April 21, 2022
Moving Pittsburgh's Legal Community Forward, Together
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Member Organizations Gather In Person for PLDIC Spring Members Meeting |
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Thanks to Everyone Who Joined Us at the Heinz History Center! |
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Nearly 40 individuals representing 21 member organizations attended the Coalition's 2022 Spring Members Meeting on April 7 at the Senator John Heinz History Center. Attendees enjoyed the evening catching up with fellow colleagues and listening to our keynote speaker, Felicity Williams, Esq., Deputy Chief of Staff for City of Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey. Williams talked about her journey, what's next for the City of Pittsburgh, and how we in the legal community and specifically the PLDIC can help further those efforts. Members also heard from Executive Director Ena Lebel and all three Coalition committee chairs (Recruitment, Retention, and Community Building) about 2022 initiatives and opportunities to become more involved. Check out some photos from the event, below! We hope to see you at the next Members Meeting this fall (date TBA). |
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PLDIC and TALI Create Two Annual Scholarships for Black Leaders |
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Scholarships Open to PLDIC Member Employees |
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One $12,000 scholarship for the Executive Leadership Academy
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One $6,000 scholarship for the Emerging Leaders Program
The Coalition is pleased to be able to offer these opportunities to our members, and hopes that they will contribute to fulfilling the Coalition's mission of increasing the number of diverse professionals in the Pittsburgh legal community.
PLDIC TALI Scholarship recipients must be admitted to either TALI program and be employed by a PLDIC member organization. Preference shall be given to individuals from PLDIC member organizations who are unable to financially sponsor their employees TALI tuition. Interested PLDIC applicants should indicate their interest in the scholarship on the TALI application. Recipients will be notified after being accepted into a TALI program.
More information can be found below. If you any questions, please contact us.
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Read TALI CEO and President Evan Frazier's Viewpoint in this Pittsburgh Business Times Article |
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Sponsorship, mentorship key parts of DE&I efforts
“What can I, as just one person, do? How can I make a difference?” The answer is, surprisingly, a great deal. Each of us can dedicate the time and effort to be DE&I champions, and this can play itself out in many ways.
Read more
www.bizjournals.com
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Register Now for our May CLE – Deep Retention: Inclusion vs. Tokenism
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May 11 from 12-1:30 p.m. at Babst Calland |
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On May 11 from 12-1:30 p.m., the PLDIC will offer a CLE opportunity, “Deep Retention: Inclusion vs. Tokenism,” presented by Asta Kill (she/hers) of the Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation and hosted by member firm Babst Calland. Qualifies for 1 hour of substantive PA, WV or OH CLE credit (pending); lunch will be provided.
This course will explore and suggest how to go beyond mere number reporting in your organization or firm’s diversity efforts to foster LGBTQ+ inclusion. Traditionally employers are not required to collect statistics on the number of LGBTQ+ people. The required data collection focuses primarily on race and traditional definitions of gender. Most diversity certifications only address LGBTQ+ people in an aggregated data set with little insight as to the actual representation. This combined with only about half of LGBTQ+ people out at work shows that something is missing in attracting and retaining LBGTQ+ diverse talent. Please register below by Wednesday, May 4.
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Calling All Readers to Join New PLDIC Book Club |
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Community Building Subcommittee Launches 2022 D&I Book Club |
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All PLDIC members are invited to join the Community Building Committee's new 2022 D&I book club. We’re starting off this year by reading White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. A quick book summary:
“In this "vital, necessary, and beautiful book" (Michael Eric Dyson), antiracist educator Robin DiAngelo deftly illuminates the phenomenon of white fragility and "allows us to understand racism as a practice not restricted to ‘bad people’ (Claudia Rankine). Referring to the defensive moves that white people make when challenged racially, white fragility is characterized by emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and by behaviors including argumentation and silence. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and prevent any meaningful cross-racial dialogue. In this in-depth exploration, DiAngelo examines how white fragility develops, how it protects racial inequality, and what we can do to engage more constructively.” In conjunction with discussing the book, we will also examine some of the criticism the author has received.
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PLDIC Law Firm Roundtable Collaboration Program |
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There's Still Time to Sign Up – Discussions Begin Soon! |
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The Coalition is excited to announce our next series of programming – the Law Firm Roundtable Collaboration Program, a series of facilitator-led, cohort-based roundtable discussions on Recruitment and Retention with PLDIC member organizations. Our corporate in-house legal department members have been meeting regularly in a program called the Corporate Roundtable Working Group. Now, we want to give our law firms a similar opportunity to learn and develop DEI strategies and solutions from collaborating with each other.
We highly suggest that you send a member of your executive team, your Chief Diversity Officer, or both individuals to participate in the roundtable program. As the topics for discussion evolve, you may choose to bring other stakeholders from your firm to these meetings.
Please register for the invitation only Law Firm Roundtable Collaboration Program by April 22 as we are aiming to launch the roundtable discussions in May or June. Didn't receive an invite? Please reach out to us for more information or to sign up.
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Isabel Wilkerson at Carnegie Music Hall:
May 9 at 7:30 p.m.
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Register and Mark Your Calendar for an In-Person PLDIC Pre-Event! |
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In her ground-breaking book Caste, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson, explores how America—today and throughout its history—is shaped by a hidden caste system, a rigid hierarchy of human rankings.
In Caste, Wilkerson documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. She also points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
PLDIC members: mark your calendar for an in-person event prior to the show – more details coming soon!
Tickets to attend in person start at $15
Virtual passes are $15
$10 student tickets are available with promo code LS22STUDENT
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ACBA CLE – Workers’ Comp – Understanding Implicit Bias |
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May 18 from 4-5 p.m. at Olive or Twist |
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This one-hour in-person CLE featuring PLDIC Executive Director Ena Lebel will explore the topic of implicit bias and how it can impact attorneys’ law practices. The presentation will provide an explanation of what implicit bias is, how it may influence thoughts and how to increase awareness of it and minimize negative impacts from it. This program has been approved for 1 hour of Substantive CLE credit and also qualifies for 1 hour of credit under the West Virginia Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education. |
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The Bridge is a monthly e-newsletter from the Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC). Catch up here if you've missed any issues. Know someone who may be interested in receiving this publication and other PLDIC communications?
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Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition
Union Trust Building, 501 Grant Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
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