Dare to Go "There": Exploring Race- and Gender-Based Discrimination in the Legal Profession & Ways to Support Black Female Attorneys

Conversations about race can be challenging. Often our fears keep us from really going "there" with each other and hold us back from having a connected yet transformative dialogue with each other. In this interview-style CLE, Dr. Erika Powell, Ed.D., and Alyssa Johnson, Esq., have a courageous conversation about race, female dynamics between women of Color and White women, and changes that need to occur in order to support Black women in the workplace. Inspired by the ABA's "Women of Color Research Initiative", the duo explores the realities for women of Color - especially Black women - who face both race- and gender-based discrimination versus White women who face only gender discrimination. The career arc for women of Color, generally, and female attorneys of Color, specifically, are also discussed. The ways that women of Color may be pigeonholed into certain roles or jobs are highlighted. Practical solutions for addressing the needs of women of Color - especially Black women - in the legal workplace are provided. Dr. Powell and Attorney Johnson explore not only what keeps us from going "there", but also uncover what could happen if we dare to elevate our conversations to explore how one's race plays out in the world and refuse to buy into the falseness of supremacy.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the differing priorities that women attorneys of Color have for their career experiences versus White women attorneys
2. Explore the intersectionality of race- and gender-based discrimination in a legal organization
3. Identify practical solutions that legal organizations can take to support, elevate, and uplift female attorneys of Color - especially Black female attorneys