As a woman attorney of color, I often feel like the most exotic thing in the business. I seldom see other women of color attorneys outside of minority bar association events. I can only think of one woman attorney of color who has served as opposing counsel in any of the dozens of cases I've litigated in the last six years I've held this job. I ran into a few more when I practiced in California, years ago, but not so many even then. I've never worked before a woman of color judge or arbitrator. I've never had a woman of color for co-counsel, though I've worked with numerous white men and women and a few men of color in this capacity. Today I work in a progressive and diverse organization with offices around the country and nearly a hundred people in positions like mine; I am the only Latina.
Typically I am very aware of the surprise (even shock) other attorneys register when they meet me in a professional setting for the first time. I'm very brown and I wear my hair according to the tradition of my Dine heritage, meaning uncut and very long. I insist on the correct pronunciation of my Spanish surname. Most folks can't be sure from looking what my ethnic/racial background is (which doesn't stop them from asking inappropriate and clumsy personal questions), but they certainly can tell I am not white.
…So I signed up right away when I heard the American Bar Association is conducting its first ever survey of women of color attorneys. They need a whole lot of women to sign up and tell about our experiences. I'm spreading the word to the handful of women of color attorneys I know in person, but I thought I'd post the info here, too, in case this reaches someone I don't know or know how to contact. To register as a study participant, go here.
Posted by P6 at January 28, 2004 10:40 AM
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Comments
We have a few brown and yellow women attorneys at our firm, but I can't think of a black woman. I don't think it is institutional; we are about as close to a meritocracy as you can get. There just aren't that many women coming out of law school, and even fewer that are women of color. Once you get past that, you have to be above the average for attorneys to make it into a big firm (like she is in.) When you get into parts of parts of parts of parts of society, you get down to really little slivers.
Posted by Phelps at January 28, 2004 12:29 PMFirst, to P6, thanks for spreading the word to your readers, I know that will catch some folks who aren't reading my site. And btw, the new design around here looks great.
To Phelps: I don't know who you are or what color you are or what kind of law you practice or anything, but I would say to you that the legal system is all about institutionalized bias, in many forms. I have never worked for a big or even medium-sized law firm; I've worked in generally progressive public interest settings and I work for a labor union now. Racism is so deeply entrenched in the legal profession that I don't even know where to start explaining where I disagree with your comment.
How about I throw out a good read by a brilliant African-Amercian law professor, I promise you will learn something and may even find it entertaining: The Alchemy of Race and Rights, by Patricia Williams. If we lived in a meritocracy, she'd be President all right.
Peace out.
Posted by Luz Paz at January 28, 2004 03:01 PMUntil recently, I was doing some volunteer paralegal work at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. There are a couple of women of color attorneys there; over half the staff are people of color, mostly Latinos and Latinas. I will pass this on to them. I also belong to a mailing list for Muslim legal professionals and will pass it on them as well. Thanks, Luz Paz!
Posted by Al-Muhajabah at January 28, 2004 03:47 PMThe Alchemy of Race and Rights, by Patricia Williams
Luz Paz--I'll keep an eye out for that book. Thanks for the tip.
Posted by James R MacLean at January 29, 2004 04:55 PM