June 3, 2020
In the last seven days I have felt rage, sorrow, grief, fear, despair, hopelessness, helplessness, and anxiety from uncertainty and even questioning my work and impact in this world. I cried myself to sleep on May 26 and did not wake up the next day feeling any better. In fact, I struggled through the work day.
The latest video of a Black man dying that I willingly watched was of Philando Castile in Minneapolis right after the death of Alton Sterling in Louisiana. Since then I have intentionally chosen not to see any more videos but George Floyd’s face is ingrained in my head. I heard his dying words when I walked into a room where my husband was watching the news. They ring in my mind at the most unexpected moments.
It is possible you feel the same way I do. It is possible you have cried, yelled, and stayed up late wondering how we got here. What I do know for sure is that your Black colleagues, family and friends have had to struggle through being professional as they show up to work every day and are not doing okay. We are not okay. The impact of systemic racism and the violence that we know has always been there is now captured on phones for all to see, and because of 24-hour news cycles, repeat viewing (often unintentional) we experience trauma, stress, and anxiety.
We want you to know that our suits, our cars, our advanced degrees, and our pedigrees do not protect us from racism and the trauma that comes with it. I have experienced blatant racism in my fancy dark lawyer suit, straightened hair (no purple!), ugly lawyer rolling briefcase. I have experienced racism when out with my children. I can testify that my many #livingwhileblack incidents are real and common. The experience of race in America ranges from the micro-aggressions and inequities to the overt and violent. I speak in the first person because I do not want you to think of statistics and studies. But you should know, I am not the only one who feels this way.
The pandemic reminded us of our history of anti-Asian Xenophobia and racism as we watched our Asian neighbors and colleagues subjected to discrimination and assaults. And we know racism impacts other racially and ethnic minority groups. We also know that many of our majority neighbors and colleagues stand with us against racism. We are invited to being anti-racist in this moment.
The Talk
A few years ago I asked on social media how many parents of Black and Brown kids had given them “The Talk.” It saddened me how many responded about their conversations with their kids starting at ages that kids should be innocent. Tragically, these conversations have been had for generations with the experiences of racism repeating itself over and over from generation to generation What is happening around us is not just about Ahmaud Arbery or how Amy Cooper weaponized her privilege and threatened Christian Cooper. It is also about Emmett Till and the time in between. And this is why it has been very hard to write this letter to you, my colleagues. You may be wondering what “The Talk” is. No, it is not about the birds and bees. It is advice we give our children, because of their race, so they can come home safely. I would describe “The Talk” as all the ways we have to prepare our kids to be possibly (and likely) hurt just for doing regular life things that others do without a thought. You can learn more here.
The Good News and the Bad News
The good news is we will move forward as a firm and as a country if we are all willing and take the right intentional steps. The good news is that in our communities and here at Seyfarth many allies are ready, willing and able to stand up, speak out and be part of change. The good news is that I have been bombarded by calls and emails by many of you who are grieving alongside the hurt. The good news is that Seyfarth is willing and ready to do more, to engage in deep conversations and ready to be sure that we are part of action and not just talk.
The bad news is this will hurt like hell, it will be uncomfortable, at times it will be painful, and we will be challenged as individuals and as a law firm and corporate citizens. The bad news is that not all of us will be comfortable with our next steps. And as any healthy family we will talk about it. We will explore the both/and. We will learn how to have courageous and difficult discussions and we will move in alignment with our Firm values. The process for being anti-racist and any aspect of being inclusive of diversity requires an unlearning and relearning. And trust me when I say our vulnerability will be tested. And in the end, none of this is actually bad news.
We, as a community, cannot be silent or observers. We will explore and move forward internally and externally. As Audre Lorde reminded us “Your silence will not protect you.” My silence and respectability won’t protect me from racism and the trauma of it. Your silence will not protect you from the impact of racism in our community.
What’s next at Seyfarth Shaw?
- In the next few days and weeks, you will hear more from me. You will also hear from the Diversity and Inclusion Action Team, Affinity Group Chairs, Pete Miller, and Seyfarth leaders. Our forward movement through these times will be collaborative.
- In the next week we will have a Firm Town Hall to process the recent events, the underlying racial inequity, the resulting trauma, our roles as change agents and allies, and how we protect the inclusion and diversity we value. We will keep you posted as details firm up.
- Our leaders will receive toolkits on leading inclusively during this time. Information on being allies and understanding race in America will also be available to every employee on InSeyt soon. We will also make ourselves available to leadership to answer questions and discuss inclusive leadership competencies.
- On Tuesday, we had a check-In webinar with our Black professionals at Seyfarth. It was a time of community, healing and processing. I invited Dr. Angela Neal-Barnett from Kent University who is a professor, psychologist, and author. We will continue to dialogue with these colleagues. The graphic at the bottom of this email was created by a partner on the call who took the words we typed when asked how we felt and placed it into a word cloud. I hope you find it impactful. Our colleagues were grateful for this chance to commune in a safe space together.
- Pro Bono and Inclusion and Diversity are exploring opportunities for pro bono and community service. These discussions are still underway as we explore and research what is available and what is a good fit for the firm.
- As we pivoted our action plan for Inclusion & Diversity in March and April, we will again examine our I&D strategy and action plan to ensure we are addressing issues and concerns that have arisen in the last two weeks.
The brilliant poet James Baldwin cautioned us to “Be careful what you set your heart upon – for it will surely be yours.” May we together set our hearts upon a future of equality and inclusion, where pain is heard before it disrupts order with chaos or violence.
Yours Truly,
Your Colleague and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer (Black, mother of two brown children, daughter of an incredible Black man, and cousin to incredible Black men including two police officers), Kori S. Carew, Esq.
