Becoming Race Literate: Dismantling White Supremacy in the Legal Profession from the Inside Out

In this interview-style CLE, attorney Alyssa Johnson and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) consultant Dr. Erika Powell discuss White supremacy in the legal profession and its effects on both people of color and White people. Particular emphasis is placed on tools to address race trauma, as well as practical steps that White attorneys and law firms/organizations can take to dismantle White supremacy. Ms. Johnson and Dr. Powell also discuss the White female attorney's role in supporting and upholding White supremacy, as well as ways that White female attorneys can actively change their allegiance related to White supremacy in order to create safe spaces for attorneys of Color.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the differences between Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging ("DEIB") work, and race literacy work

2. Identify the race trauma attorneys hold in based on skin color

3. Engage with practical tools for dismantling internalized racism both at the individual attorney level and the organizational level

4. Understand some of the obstacles that attorneys of Color face in a White supremacist world