Unique:
For the last two weeks, I taught a class for undergraduates who wish to attend law school. I had 20 amazing students from historically excluded communities in the study and profession of law. As an ice breaker on the first day, we did a bingo game where we needed to find people who played a sport, or an instrument, or currently had nail polish on. The rules stated that you needed to find one person for each square (no doubles), and you could not count yourself. The grand prize went to someone who filled out the entire board.
One square that appeared on every board was (to find) "someone who was left-handed." There were 25 people playing this game: all the students, the faculty teaching in the program, and the program coordinators. And only one left-handed person amongst all of them. That was me. While this was a tiny and trivial example of how it feels to be the "only" in a room, the fact that everyone needed to find me in order to succeed–but I could not possibly win– was very clear.
Let me preface this next part by saying that I am not sure this is my story to tell. The stakes for me were extremely low and had virtually no impact on me or how I value myself. But I thought, in that moment, that it may be similar to how purely performative diversity initiatives feel to students. Do students of color (or first gen students, or any historically excluded law student) feel that everyone needs their presence to "win," but that the student cannot?
Remember, being left-handed (at least in this current time and place) is a relatively neutral difference-the stereotypes associated with being left-handed are not particularly negative (sure, feel free to think I am artistic or clumsy); and being left-handed doesn't really have implications for me academically or professionally. But the stereotypes and assumptions and micro-aggressions (or just aggressions) associated with race, gender, socioeconomic status etc. are toxic to students. Are law schools guilty of valuing the presence of a diverse student body, but still setting them up to fail? In the the game we played to break the ice, the rules were the reason I couldn't win.
Rules can be changed.
Call for Proposals:
The AASE Diversity Committee is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the 4th Biennial AASE Diversity Conference, October 11-13, 2023 at American University Washington College of Law in Washington, DC. Please see attached document or visit the following link to submit your proposal. (be sure to click through the ad if it pops up). The conference will offer an in-person and virtual experience. The theme for the October 2023 Diversity Conference is “The Choices We Make Matter: Revisioning Legal Academia’s Structures and Systems to Build More Inclusive Spaces for Historically Excluded Communities.” We welcome proposals on diversity, inclusion and belonging as it relates to legal education, academic support, bar examination and licensure. Proposals are due by July 31, 2023. Presenters will be notified no later than August 31, 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact aasemembership@gmail.com
(Liz Stillman)
