INCLUSION IN ACTION
Holland & Knight’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Newsletter Summer 2021 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Black History Month............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Women’s History Month ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Supporting the Asian American/Pacific Islander Community................................................................................................ 7 Pride Month.......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Juneteenth ......................................................................................................................................................................... 10 DiverseAbility Affinity Group............................................................................................................................................... 11 Awards, Accolades and Recent Successes ...................................................................................................................... 13 Take 5 with Kristin Asai ...................................................................................................................................................... 17
www.hklaw.com
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
A LASTING LEGACY:
Black Women and U.S. Legal History
Thumbing through images of Black history, many might be surprised to find that very few Black women are depicted in images, or that their stories were even shared. In February, Holland & Knight hosted the program, “Black Women and U.S. Legal History,” which spotlighted the stories of Black women that are not prominently known, but are worth sharing. Patrice Dixon, an associate at Jackson Lewis, and Andrea Kramer, founder of Kramer Law LLC, presented on the importance of Black women in U.S. legal history and the need to remove the invisibility of their roles, contributions and sometimes existence. Slavery in America and Its Creation as a Legal System Ms. Dixon discussed the beginnings of slavery in America in 1619, when the first African-Americans arrived in what is now Hampton, Virginia, and were sold into slavery. One of the first recorded women sold into slavery, she said, was a woman known as Angela, who was sometimes referred to as “Angelo.” 1
During the early 1600s, the British did not have any laws regarding slavery, but Massachusetts was the first colony to legitimize slavery through the passage of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641. Kramer shared the story of Elizabeth Key Grinstead, who was of African and English descent and in 1656 became one of the first women in the North American colonies to sue for her freedom and win. Challenging Slavery and Segregation Another prominent Black woman in U.S. legal history was Harriet Robinson Scott, who tried to gain her freedom for many years. Ms. Kramer shared the story of Harriet and her husband, Dred Scott, who filed separate lawsuits for their freedom. Their cases were combined by the Missouri Supreme Court, but only Dred Scott’s name lived on in the title of the infamous case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, a decision in which the Scotts lost their fight for freedom and that intensified national divisions over slavery.
Ms. Dixon then guided the viewers through the next era of Black women in U.S. legal history by discussing the women who challenged segregation, including a look at Mary Ellen Pleasant, who successfully sued to win the right to ride on cable cars in San Francisco. Women’s Suffrage and Civil Rights Contributors Ms. Dixon and Ms. Kramer went on to discuss women who were involved in the women’s suffrage movement. “With respect to the Black women in the movement, many were involved. But essentially, a lot of them have been ignored and their stories have been erased,” said Ms. Dixon, who discussed the key contributions of Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells-Barnett.
and 3 women) headed to a large rally in New Orleans and became known as the first Freedom Riders. Mae Francis Moultrie Howard, a 24-year-old Morris College student who joined the ride in South Carolina, was the only African American female on the original Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) Freedom Ride, suffering severe smoke inhalation during the firebombing of the bus near Anniston, Alabama. One thing Ms. Dixon pointed out was that, despite the many hardships all of these women faced, their journeys still continued. They had to keep moving forward, and that has led to progress for all Black women. Firsts in the Law During the last portion of their presentation, Ms. Dixon and Ms. Kramer shared the stories of Black women who made their marks as the first to accomplish key milestones in the legal industry, including Charlotte Ray, who was the first African American woman admitted to practice law in the U.S., and Constance Baker Motley, the first African American judge in the federal judiciary.
As the Civil Rights era dawned, 11 years before Rosa Parks’ pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott, there was Irene Morgan, who in 1944 refused to move from her seat on a Greyhound bus in Virginia and was presented with an arrest warrant. She appealed her conviction for violating Virginia’s segregation law, and took it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which found that the law enforcing segregation on interstate buses was illegal. “I love this woman,” Ms. Kramer said of Ms. Morgan. “She tears up the paper, she throws it out the window. This is pretty heroic and fearless.” Sarah Keys, who served in the Women’s Army Corps, was involved in a similar case in 1952. In the early 1960s, racial segregation was gripping American society and Jim Crow laws were being violently enforced in the South. In May 1961, 13 people (10 men
“I like to think I had heard Constance Baker Motley as a little girl growing up in New York City,” said Ms. Kramer. “And maybe I did and maybe that influenced me, along with having Shirley Chisholm as a [U.S.] representative there. But the truth is, the first time I recall hearing of her was in law school in connection with her response to a motion to recuse herself in the case of Blank vs. Solomon & Cromwell – a landmark case for women lawyers.” Historic 2020 Election Ms. Dixon and Ms. Kramer said that the journey that all of these remarkable Black women took has led to the accomplishments of politicians such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams. Today, they said, it seems almost commonplace for Black women to hold such roles, but it took a journey with many struggles to get to this point. “If you look through history, you will recognize … that their rise and prominence in politics today is not accidental,” said Ms. Dixon. “Rather, it serves as a part of a rich and long history of Black women who have fought for equality within Black communities.”
2
A Conversation with Jeff Hobbs: The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace Author Jeff Hobbs spoke with Holland & Knight Partner Loren Forrest (NYC), co-chair of the firm’s Black Affinity Group, to discuss his New York Times bestseller The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace. In the book, published in 2015, Mr. Hobbs shares the story of his college roommate and close friend, Robert Peace, who was tragically shot twice by two men in ski masks in his basement on May 18, 2011.
Jeff Hobbs, left, and Loren Forrest
“It seemed like life was long and that there would always be a reunion down the road, but we didn’t have time,” said Mr. Hobbs. In the Feb. 16 webinar, Mr. Hobbs discussed the most frequent questions he gets asked: Why was Robert killed and why did he write the book? Although Mr. Hobbs still struggles to answer both questions, he did say that he saw value in sharing Mr. Peace’s story. Mr. Peace, who grew up in the slums of Newark, New Jersey, became a brilliant student who attended Yale University. Mr. Hobbs said that Mr. Peace carried a huge set of discomforts going to Yale as a Black man but overcame all of his challenges and anxieties. “When we watched him receive his diploma in the spring of 2002, he seemed destined, maybe even chosen to fulfill all these dreams he had and all these dreams others had for him,” Mr. Hobbs said. “He fulfilled a lot.”What started out as a two-week project compiling stories for Mr. Peace’s high school newsletter turned into a three-year endeavor for Mr. Hobbs in which he received stories from 80 to 90 people about Peace’s life and impact. As the stories accumulated, Mr. Hobbs saw patterns throughout Mr. Peace’s life of enduring conflicts in race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, 3
friendship and love. Mr. Peace was a man who had influenced a lot of people. “He made the people who knew him better, and he did that for me. That’s why I wrote the book. [I thought] maybe he could keep doing that,” said Mr. Hobbs.
Lara Rios
Barbra Parlin
The discussion opened up to a Q&A session that included comments and questions from Holland & Knight Partners Lara Rios (MIA/NYC), who attended Yale with both Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Peace, as well as Barbra Parlin, Duvol Thompson (both NYC) and Ashley Shively (SFO).
Duvol Thompson
Ashley Shively
ROUNDUP Partner Marilyn Holifield Helps Celebrate Black Excellence at University of Miami Event Partner Marilyn Holifield (MIA) joined notable institutional, student and alumni leaders as a panelist for “Our Story: Black Excellence,” a Feb. 18-20 virtual forum hosted by the University of Miami’s Black Marilyn Holifield Alumni Society. Participants had the opportunity to learn, engage and grow through a series of thought-provoking sessions reflecting on the challenges, truths and triumphs often experienced within the Black community. The Critical Importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities In honor of Black History Month, Holland & Knight hosted “Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Critical Importance in Society.” During the Feb. 22 live webinar, Associate Jessica Farmer (WAS) Jessica Farmer moderated a discussion with Dr. Herman Felton Jr., the 17th president and CEO of Wiley College. During the discussion, Dr. Felton shared his personal story of how he got his start in higher education and what inspired him to do so. Specifically, Dr. Felton talked about the importance of Wiley College’s 1935 speech and debate team, which inspired the 2007 film “The Great Debaters.” “I think debate equips our young men and women to have the mental requisite to listen and to counter in a way that says, ‘I hear you. However, I disagree,’ or ‘I hear you. Let me strengthen that argument by adding this to the fold.’ “
Black Law Students Shown Pathway to Partnership Attorneys from several Holland & Knight offices teamed up with the Southern, Southwest and Midwest Regions of the National Black Law Students Association to participate in a virtual “Pathway to Partner” program. About 30 Black pre-law and law students, representing nearly a dozen colleges from across the country, attended the Jan. 9 event. The panel discussions focused on several relevant topics, including diversity and the current legal landscape, how large law firms approach diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, how law students can prepare for a career in private practice, what the firm’s Black attorneys wish they knew before they started at the firm, finding the formula for success in your practice and at your firm, and best practices for obtaining promotions and achieving partnership. Schools represented included the Charleston School of Law, Emory University, Florida A&M University, Georgetown University, Georgia State University, John Marshall Law School, Mercer University, Nova Southeastern University, the University of Florida and the University of Miami. 4
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
Breaking Barriers: Female Leadership in a COVID-19 World
With a global theme of “Choose to Challenge,” Holland & Knight celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 in various ways. Women from the firm’s Latin America Team hosted the webinar, “Breaking Barriers: Female Leadership in a COVID-19 World,” to discuss the challenges – as well as the recent strides and accomplishments – that they’ve seen firsthand in business leadership and gender diversity. (To view the recording, use #breakingbarriers1 as the Access Passcode). Partner Lara Rios (MIA/NYC) moderated the webinar in which several distinguished speakers shared their thoughts, experiences and overall guidance on the social, business and political issues that Lara Rios impact many women across the Western Hemisphere. She called the panelists “leaders in their respective organizations who are passionate about diversity and inclusion.” One theme was prevalent throughout: Mentorship is crucial. Senior Counsel Inés Vesga (BOG) shared that, early in her career, she had to overcome gender issues as a female attorney at an engineering firm. Inés Vesga
“I was very young, I was a woman and I was not an engineer, so my biggest challenge was to convince my colleagues and co-workers that I could do my job,” Ines said. “[My manager] trusted me, he gave 5
me a lot of exposure, he gave me the opportunity to handle complex transactions, and he made others know about my capacities.” Ines concluded that in order to overcome gender issues, it’s important to be surrounded by people who have trust and faith in you. In the experience of Alpina General Counsel Claudia Caballero, the COVID-19 pandemic has served as an empowering opportunity for many workers to showcase their capabilities. “We have learned over this year two words: empathy and empowerment,” said Ms. Caballero. “Prior to COVID, everyone was used to [asking], ‘Do I do that? Don’t I do that?’ Everyone can take decisions and feel empowered to take them, and if you take that with empathy … you understand that there are many things that come into mind when taking a decision.” Ms. Caballero added that she and her team have been encouraged to think outside of the box to find solutions, whether by breaking barriers of job responsibilities or networking with other companies that can solve problems. Johnson & Johnson President and Managing Director Maria Julieta Castañeda also spoke about challenges and silver linings during COVID-19 and the importance of empathy for others.
“Everyone has had their own challenges because everyone has a different personal reality,” said Ms. Castañeda. “I realize the challenges of a lot of families that have had to integrate work and life, [along with single employees who] have had their significant share of challenge of being alone in a lockdown for so long.” Despite the difficulties of finding a new work-life balance, Ms. Castañeda said she feels like she has connected more with people during quarantine. By simply checking in and asking how others are doing, people have opened up and felt appreciated.
Selene Espinosa
Senior Counsel Selene Espinosa (MEX) thanked the strong women and men – the “silent heroes” – who served as role models and encouraged her to continue pursuing a career in law.
“I owe a great debt to all of my mentors,” said Selene, who said they taught her that to receive “reliability, trustworthiness and approachability is to give the same to my clients, my colleagues, my partners, my family and my community.” Amazon Associate General Counsel and Mexico Legal Director Fernanda Ramo advised attendees to take on the roles and responsibilities that seem like a challenge. She shared her own experience of accepting her current job after a mentor’s advice. “When I joined [Amazon], I never realized the challenge I was taking,” said Ms. Ramo. “Even if you don’t know, but it’s something that challenges you, it will make you grow, so say ‘yes.’”
ROUNDUP The Prosecutors: A Discussion and Look Forward The Jacksonville Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Holland & Knight Women’s Initiative hosted a webinar titled, “The Prosecutors: A Discussion and Look Forward,” on March 11. “The Prosecutors” is a featurelength documentary that follows three lawyers as they investigate and handle international war crimes. Partner Jennifer Mansfield (JAX) moderated the panel, which included Partner Barbara Martinez (MIA); Leslie Thomas, the film’s director; and Giovanna Prieto, a prosecutor from the Colombia Office of the Attorney General. Former International Law Clerk Annette Herrera (MIA) provided translation assistance for the panel. In addition, Holland & Knight’s Media Practice and its Entertainment Law Team – specifically Partner Michael Grill (CHI) and former Associate Esther Clovis (NYC) – provided significant pro bono legal services and advice during the film’s production. “No Time to Waste” More than 145 viewers tuned in to a panel discussion and virtual viewing of the documentary, “No Time to Waste – The Urgent Mission of Betty Reid Soskin,” on March 18. The film tracks the life of Ms. Soskin, 99, from her Betty Reid Soskin experiences as a young worker in a World War II segregated union hall to her present public role as a U.S. park ranger at Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front National Historical Park. Holland & Knight Senior Counsel Letitia Moore (SFO), who serves as president of the Rosie the Riveter Trust, led a brief discussion and Q&A.
Tiffany Dufu Addresses the Importance of Gender Roles and Women’s Leadership Holland & Knight hosted a March 24 webinar, “Tiffany Dufu: Gender Roles and the Importance of Women’s Leadership.” Ms. Dufu, founder and CEO of The Cru (a peer coaching platform for women) and author of the bestselling book, Drop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less, shared her career journey, including the challenges that she faced and overcame by letting go of certain expectations, and offered advice on ways that women and men can prioritize their to-do lists and achieve more at work and in life.
Tiffany Dufu, left, and Judy Nemsick
Holland & Knight Partner and Women’s Initiative Chair Judy Nemsick (NYC) moderated a Q&A session following the presentation.
6
SUPPORTING THE AAPI COMMUNITY
Standing Against Anti-Asian Violence: Webinars and Video Series Promote Allyship
Stacey Wang
After recent hateful acts against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Holland & Knight’s Diversity Council and the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Affinity Group wanted to do something extra for the firm’s commemoration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month in May. They encouraged attorneys and staff from across the firm to discuss racial justice and allyship as well as reflect on how to better support the AAPI community. These conversations have been captured on video with the hope that the stories educate viewers and inspire further discussion on being better allies to AAPI friends, family and colleagues. (For a link to each episode, see API Video Series, page 8.)
“The increasing racial attacks since last year, culminating in the attacks in recent weeks, make us fear for ourselves and our parents, grandparents and children,” said Partner and API Affinity Group Chair Stacey Wang (LAX). “We truly feel that ‘open season’ has been called on our communities.” In addition to the candid discussions, the API Affinity Group hosted “Understanding and Supporting the AAPI Community” on April 8. The webinar promoted a dialogue about the recent escalation of AAPI hate incidents in the U.S. and the history behind them. Stacey led the conversation with two esteemed guests: Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and Eugene Moy, vice president of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. During the discussion, Ms. Chung Joe cited two essential calls for action. First, victims need to get their story recorded and counted. “They need to post on social media, report it to various websites and not let it go until it helps push toward change,” she said.
Clockwise, from top left, Stacey Wang, Eugene Moy and Connie Chung Joe 7
Second, she said, was for those who witness others being victimized: Record the incident on your phone and report it to various websites, take bystander intervention
training to help prevent incidents from escalating, and most importantly, support the victim so they know such behavior is not acceptable and they have worth. Mr. Moy addressed the “institutionalized racism” that he said kept Chinese immigrants and other minorities from fair and just treatment under the law and prevented them from improving their economic and social conditions. “From the beginning these were people seen as inferior and who didn’t have even the capacity to become citizens,” Mr. Moy said. Keeping with this theme, the firm hosted on May 27 a bystander intervention training program that explored the “spectrum of disrespect” facing the AAPI community and the five strategies for intervention – distract, delegate, document, delay and direct (the five Ds) – while prioritizing safety. After the training, the diversity and inclusion committees in each of the firm’s offices and the Operations Center were provided toolkits to organize local, smaller sessions.
Hollaback!’s 5Ds Strategies for bystander intervention, as provided by Hollaback!, which has partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice in interactive bystander intervention training sessions. Distract: Take an indirect approach to deescalate the situation. Delegate: Get help from someone else. Document: It can be helpful for the target to have a video of the incident. Laws about recording in public vary, so check local laws first. Delay: After the incident is over, check in with the person who was harassed. Direct: Assess your safety first. Speak up about the harassment. Be firm and clear.
FIRM COMMEMORATING ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH Holland & Knight’s Diversity Council and the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) Affinity Group pay tribute to the generations of Asians and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and who have played an important role in its future success.
API VIDEO SERIES: LISTEN AND LEARN
Each May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, and the firm celebrates Asians and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. for their numerous contributions. A record 23 million Asian Americans – a figure that’s expected to grow to more than 46 million by 2060 – trace their roots to more than 20 countries, each with unique histories, cultures, languages and other characteristics. In addition, there are 1.6 million Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in the U.S.
Episode 1: A Series Introduction from Asian/Pacific Islander Affinity Group Chair Stacey Wang Episode 2: Witnessing API Discrimination: A Shared Experience Episode 3: Kristin Asai Shares Her Family History in the U.S. Japanese Internment Camps Episode 4: Highlighting API Contributions to the U.S. Military Episode 5: A Brief History of Discrimination Against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans Episode 6: Becoming an Ally with Jennifer A. Mansfield Episode 7: Perspectives from a Second Generation Samoan American Episode 8: Reflecting on the Importance of Professional Mentors Episode 9: Explaining the Model Minority Myth
The month of May was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant, a fisherman named Nakanohama Manjiro, or “John Mung,” to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.
Holland & Knight’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month video series debuted on May 26. Please feel free to view and share the complete series.
8
PRIDE MONTH
LGBTQ Affinity Group Promotes Transgender Inclusion with Human Rights Campaign Holland & Knight’s longstanding cooperation and collaboration with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) continued in 2021 with a transgender advocacy webinar held during LGBTQ Pride Month in June. LGBTQ Affinity Group member and Partner Louis Rouleau (WAS) moderated the “Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace” discussion, which was held on June 22 and Louis Rouleau included HRC Workplace Equality Program’s Deputy Director RaShawn Hawkins and Senior Manager Raina Nelson. HRC is the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the world, with more than 3 million members and supporters. It promotes and helps write legislation, lobbies lawmakers and provides public education, outreach and research. The presentation explored best practices for transpeople’s integration into the office environment, with a focus on how the HRC’s Workplace Equality Program provides support and awareness training to help both the new employees and their co-workers. This includes the group’s benchmark Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and its toolkit for employers. Other topics included pronoun etiquette, tips for allyship, intersectionality and trans and nonbinary identities, as well as important concepts and terminology for the LGBTQ community. “At the core of respect we require self-awareness and the ‘platinum rule.’ We were all taught this growing up: Treat people how they want to be treated and not how you want to be treated,” Ms. Nelson said during the event. She added that society must strip away its view of only two genders, avoiding assumptions rooted in the binary and accepting others as they see themselves. The speakers also highlighted Holland & Knight’s ongoing journey to achieve diversity and inclusion as one of sustained commitment, consistent engagement and regular assessment. They noted that the firm recently signed on to the HRC’s Business Coalition for the Equality Act in support of equal employment for LGBTQ individuals. In addition, Holland & Knight received a perfect rating of 100 percent on the 2021 CEI, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. 9
The firm, which has maintained a 100 percent score on the CEI since 2015. During the intersectionality portion of the webinar, Ms. Hawkins reflected on the violence against the transgender and nonconforming community that in the first half of 2021 has seen at least 29 of its members violently killed. In 2020, 44 cases of violent fatal incidents against transgender and gender nonconforming people were reported, marking it as the most violent year on record since HRC began tracking such crimes in 2013. “The systems of oppression reinforce each other to create a compounded experience of oppression,” Ms. Hawkins said, noting the combined effects that racism, gender discrimination and class or LGBTQ issues can have on a transgender person.
CELEBRATIONS AND COMMITMENT Pride Month 2021 marked a return in many U.S. cities to the pre-pandemic street festivals, parades and parties celebrating the LGBTQ community – but with a twist and a focus that continued to unite and promote support among the nation’s many minority groups. Members of Holland & Knight’s LGBTQ Affinity Group used the month as an opportunity to listen to the voices of LGBTQ colleagues, hear their stories and be intentional about advocacy, representation and inclusion. As part of this effort, the LGBTQ Affinity Group urged attorneys across the firm to volunteer their time to provide pro bono representation in cases involving hate crimes and discrimination, as well as other opportunities to provide pro bono legal services to the LGBTQ community.
JUNETEENTH
Freedom Day: A Time to Celebrate and Learn
Juneteenth, the oldest national celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, was again recognized by Holland & Knight again this year, being observed as a firmwide holiday on Friday, June 18. Its origins date back to June 19, 1865, when Union General Gordon Granger read federal orders in Galveston, Texas, that the Civil War had ended and all enslaved persons were free. The ensuing celebrations evolved into the tradition known as Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day or Emancipation Day. “Juneteenth is an important celebration of freedom but also a reminder of the legacies of slavery,” said Diversity Partner
Tiffani Lee (MIA). “The holiday continues to grow in significance as the country continues to grapple with issues of racial justice and systemic racism.” In addition, Holland & Knight’s Black Affinity Group sponsored “Juneteenth: Its History and Modern-Day Significance,” an internal webinar that highlighted the origins and traditions of Juneteenth as well as its significance in U.S. history. During the webinar, Partner and Black Affinity Group Chair Loren Forrest (NYC) facilitated the June 15 discussion with Dr. Matthew Delmont, the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of History at Dartmouth College and an expert on African American history and the history of civil rights.
JUNETEENTH IN JACKSONVILLE: SERVING AT SUMMER CAMP Holland & Knight Partner Frank Morreale, Senior Counsel Daniel Mahfood and Office Manager Michelle Borandi (all JAX) volunteered at the Juneteenth Summer Camp at the downtown Jacksonville campus of the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation. In addition, the Jacksonville office – through its Diversity and Inclusion Committee and local Public and Charitable Services budget – made a cash donation to the foundation to help offset some expenses of the June 18 program. Frank is a board member of the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, which was founded nearly 25 years ago by the former professional tennis player. The summer camp was open to K-8 students and featured a variety of activities and themes, including: •
African jewelry-making and history – to learn about Africa’s resources and its people
•
•
•
•
African dance class and mask-making – to learn about culture through storytelling, dance, song and rhythms an outdoor Partner Frank Morreale helps a camper obstacle with her mask. course – to understand the fight for freedom through the Civil War and Underground Railroad spoken word and poetry – to learn about historical civil rights leaders who presented through literature, from Maya Angelou to Dr. Martin Luther King soul food barbecue – to celebrate freedom with food and fun
10
DIVERSEABILITY AFFINITY GROUP
Holland & Knight Launches DiverseAbility Affinity Group, the Firm’s 8th Such Initiative “Fear of discrimination due to the negative stigmas associated with having a disability has caused many in the legal profession to suffer in silence. Through launching the DiverseAbility Affinity Group, Holland & Knight is confronting the stigmas head-on by providing a welcoming, supportive and understanding environment for those at the firm who are affected by a disability,” Michelle said.
Attorney Michelle DeVos, who founded the DiverseAbility Affinity Group, discusses her struggles with Asperger’s syndrome and living with a disability.
Holland & Knight has established a DiverseAbility Affinity Group as part of the firm’s efforts to further develop a culture where all talented individuals – including those traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession – can have, and can see, a path to long-term success. This is the firm’s eighth affinity group. The group is chaired by Staff Attorney Michelle DeVos (MIA) and co-chaired by Partner Daniel Sylvester (CHI) and Practice Development Manager John Eix (DFW). Each of these individuals has a Michelle personal stake in helping to promote equity DeVos for these individuals. Michelle, who initially proposed and subsequently founded the DiverseAbility Affinity Group, has Asperger’s syndrome and recently discussed her efforts to overcome the struggles associated with living with a disability. Daniel John has two sons with autism and helped Sylvester establish the nonPareil Institute to provide hope for his children and other families. Dan also serves as the business partnership chair for the Holland & Knight’s Veterans Group and is active assisting veterans and their families facing the same issues that he handles daily helping his wife, a U.S. Army veteran who is 100 percent disabled from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
11
The DiverseAbility Affinity Group’s mission is to focus on attracting, supporting and promoting the firm’s attorneys and staff affected by disabilities of all types – physical and mental – by helping to maintain an environment that is inclusive, challenging and supportive to maximize both personal and career success. Its main goals are to support and enhance the professional, personal and career development of attorneys and staff affected by disabilities; encourage retention and promotion of attorneys and staff with disabilities; and encourage the recruitment and hiring of talented attorneys and staff with disabilities. The DiverseAbility Affinity Group joins seven other initiatives by the firm to advance specific minority and other underrepresented groups in the legal profession. These are the Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, LGBTQ and Native American Affinity Groups, as well as the Women’s Initiative and the Veterans Group. If you are interested in learning more about the DiverseAbility Affinity Group, please contact the leadership team.
Dallas Marketer John Eix and nonPareil Institute Offer Hope for Families Affected by Autism Autism, or Autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 54 children in the United States are currently autistic. During the next 10 years, more than 1 million of those children will become adults living on the spectrum. For Holland & Knight Practice Development Manager John Eix (DFW), the disorder hit close to home. He is the father of two boys on the autism spectrum. About 11 years ago, growing concerns about the future of his oldest son, Ethan John Eix Eix, now 21, inspired him to team up with Gary Moore and Dan Selec, whose sons also were on the spectrum. In 2010, gathered around a breakfast table, they found a solution in the creation of the nonPareil Institute, a job skills training center for adults with autism. The trio wanted to make a better life for their sons, one in which a greater degree of independence and personal accomplishment was not just a possibility but a probability.
HOPE FOR HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES From its humble beginnings as an idea among three friends, nonPareil – which means “No Equal” – now serves more than 200 young adults with autism in four locations: Austin, Houston and Plano, Texas, and Orlando, Florida. The students are called crew members at the schools. “When I reference a ‘gift,’ I don’t mean something tangible. It isn’t that nonPareil just teaches technical skills and training or creates cool technology products. It’s much more than that,” John explained. “NonPareil provides a unique environment with extensive opportunities for our students to develop meaningful relationships, gain friends and expand their social network through various clubs, organizations and community events.” These interest-based activities are often student-initiated and provide additional opportunities for the crew members to become leaders among friends and colleagues. NonPareil provides a safe and controlled environment where the young adults can find their passion, grow their potential and discover their purpose in an accepting and nurturing culture.
“The transformative impact on nonPareil is not only lifechanging for the crew member but for everyone in that young person’s life – the parents, the siblings, friends and others. The difference made is literally tear-inducing. I have seen these with my own eyes,” John said.
THE MISSION CONTINUES John was recently elected chair of nonPareil’s board of trustees. He said the biggest worry that parents of an autistic child face is what will happen to their child when the parents are no longer here. In John’s case, he said his oldest son will never be self-sufficient and will always need some type of supervision. Still, nonPareil will make Ethan’s transition to adulthood much more rewarding and fulfilling. The goal at nonPareil is for crew members to learn a variety of technical, soft and communication skills – how to do a resume, how to work with others, how to meet deadlines, how to make goals, how to meet those goals – skills that will help them whether they go to college or enter the workforce after they leave nonPareil. The school allows them to work at their own pace, as opposed to a traditional high school or university. The ways in which people with autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged. Some people living on the spectrum may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may live entirely independently. “We’ve moved from autism awareness to autism acceptance. I hope, someday, we’re at autism appreciation,” John said. For more information about autism or the nonPareil Institute, email John Eix.
12
AWARDS, ACCOLADES AND RECENT SUCCESSES
Firm Client Toyota North America Selected Chambers’ 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Award Winner
Holland & Knight client Toyota North America has been honored as the Outstanding Company for Furthering Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) at the Chambers Diversity & Inclusion Awards: North America 2021. The firm nominated Toyota North America for the award earlier this year. This is a significant example of how Holland & Knight is able to deepen client relationships based on shared D&I values. Toyota North America was recognized because it doesn’t just expect excellence in D&I from its law firms but also works to ensure its own commitment to diversity is evident throughout the organization. The company values diverse teams and requires its outside legal counsel to demonstrate actionable steps toward advancing D&I, asking for detailed reports on how firms staff every matter (including the diversity makeup of the team and its leadership, as well as how business credits are awarded). Partners Mark Goldschmidt (DEN), Kwamina Williford (WAS), Judy Mercier (ORL) and Tiffani Lee (MIA), along with Business Analytics and Diversity Manager Hamlet Bonilla (OPC) assisted in the Chambers nomination submission. Toyota Financial Services is serviced by a committed team of Holland & Knight lawyers, including Partners Da’Morus Cohen (MIA), Carter 13
Burgess (JAX), Ashley Shively (SFO) and Mark Francis (NYC), Associates Justin Dixon (JAX) and Courtney Oakes (FTL), Staff Attorneys Karin Oko, Wes Ridout and Gina Bulecza (all JAX), as well as Paralegals Jennifer Vonderheide (JAX) and Dacia Owen (DEN). Toyota was shortlisted for the award along with other wellrespected companies in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) space, such as Bank of America, General Motors and McDonald’s. Toyota was announced as the winner on June 17.
Marilyn Holifield
Lisa Kpor
Mark Melton
Holland & Knight and three of its attorneys also were shortlisted for the awards, which honor the legal profession’s true diversity and inclusion pioneers. The firm was a finalist in the Outstanding Firm for D&I category. In addition, three attorneys were finalists for individual honors: Partner Marilyn Holifield (MIA) for Outstanding Contribution, Associate Lisa Kpor (CHI) as Future Leader and Partner Mark Melton (DFW) as Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES • Holland & Knight was named on June 28 as one of the 50 best law firms for women by Seramount (formerly Working Mother Media), recognizing the firm for using best practices in recruiting, retaining, promoting and developing women lawyers. Seramount’s 2021 Best Law Firms for Women, published by Working Mother, highlights law firms that averaged 25 percent women among equity partners, compared with 23 percent last year, and where women represented 40 percent of all lawyers overall (up from 39 percent in 2020). Of all female equity partners, 16 percent were multicultural, and multicultural women represented 27 percent of overall women lawyers (up from 26 percent). “During the past year, we’ve seen just how critical flexible work hours and caregiver support are during difficult times,” said Holland & Knight Partner and Women’s Initiative Chair Judy Nemsick (NYC). “We are grateful to our women attorneys for their incredible contributions in the face of significant disruption and to Seramount for setting industry-leading standards that help us all achieve success.” •
Holland & Knight received its seventh consecutive perfect rating of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. The report released in February is administered by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
•
Law360’s 2021 Diversity Snapshot ranked Holland & Knight 29th overall among the nation’s largest law firms (with more than 600 attorneys), and No. 7 for having the most Minority Equity Partners.
• Holland & Knight was honored on Feb. 18 with the Outstanding Services Award by the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Military Pro Bono Project for the ninth consecutive year. Holland & Knight is the only law firm or company to receive the award every year since its inception in 2012. In addition, Partners Jonetta Brooks (DFW), Charles Naftalin, Rafe Petersen (both WAS) and Josh Roberts (JAX), along with recently retired Senior Partner Buddy Schulz (JAX), were individually recognized with the Outstanding Services Award for “extraordinary pro bono services” in 2020.
IMPACTFUL RELATIONSHIPS WITH LCLD Holland & Knight has long made it a priority to be involved with the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), an organization of more than 350 members who serve as either general counsel of major corporations or managing partners of the nation’s leading law firms. Members are united by a spirit of activism and personal commitment, and the organization’s mission is to produce tangible results in our institutions by working to promote inclusiveness in our organizations, our circles of influence and our society. Among the highlights of Holland & Knight’s impactful relationship with the LCLD this year: •
The LCLD awarded Partner Kevin Gooch (ATL) with its seventh annual Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award at its Alumni Virtual Leadership Symposium on June 17. Named for LCLD’s founder, the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment and leadership of alumni who have left a lasting impact on their legal communities and the profession at large. This is the highest honor in the Kevin Gooch LCLD alumni community.
•
Partner Michael Jo (NYC) and Associate Agnes Doyle (HOU) are representing the firm as members of the LCLD’s 2021 Class of Fellows, participating in a landmark program created to identify, train and advance the next generation of leaders in the legal profession.
Michael Jo
•
Associates Heath DeJean (HOU), Olufunke Leroy (PHL) and Danny Agnes Doyle Kavanaugh (ORL) are participating in the LCLD Pathfinder Program, which is for diverse, high-potential, early-career attorneys.
•
The firm hosted five first-year law students who were LCLD scholars during its 2021 summer program.
14
PRO BONO/COMMUNITY SERVICE •
•
15
Partner Mark Melton (DFW) was interviewed by CBS Evening News about his pro bono work representing people facing homelessness as more than 34,000 evictions have been filed in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark and nearly 200 other attorneys formed Dallas Eviction 2020, which has so far provided pro bono assistance to more than 7,000 people and raised money to pay back rent and other housing costs. In the May 19 report, “Inside Dallas Eviction Court: Pro Bono Lawyers Help Tenants Stay in Homes During Pandemic,” Mark said his own experience with homelessness at age 21 drives him to help others. “When I get these phone calls, all these people and, you know, they’re going through that right now, it takes me back to that place,” he said. “And it’s just, I can’t say no.” Mark also was featured by Law360 Pulse in a Q&A, “Meet the BigLaw Tax Atty Fighting Evictions in Dallas,” Mark said, “One thing this experience has highlighted for me is that COVID only exacerbated an existing problem. Evictions are more often a cause of poverty rather than a result of it, and there are lots of tenants out there who are going to continue to need help in this area.” He added that Holland & Knight has been very supportive, noting that he “made the case that, as a firm, we’re always talking about professional responsibility. Now we’re sitting here in front of a massive human crisis we’re uniquely able to help solve, so we should do it. They agreed.”
After a 12-year process, a Holland & Knight pro bono client, a Vietnam veteran who served on active duty from November 1967 to October 1969, has prevailed on his claim for increased disability benefits before the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Partner Richard Winter (CHI) represented the 74-year-old client during the final stages of the appeal process. The veteran, who
lives in Houston, initially filed a claim in January 2008 for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to his combat experiences in Vietnam and was awarded a 50 percent disability rating. After years of multiple appeals, remands and rehearings, Mr. Winter helped the client secure an increase in his disability rating to 70 percent, as well as a finding that he was eligible for Total Disability Individual Unemployability (TDIU). •
Two attorneys from Holland & Knight’s Orlando office represented a U.S. military service member and his wife in a recent dispute against their landlord. The case was referred to Holland & Knight by the Danny Florida Governor’s Initiative on Lawyers Kavanaugh Assisting Warriors (GI LAW) program. Associate Danny Kavanaugh, a member of the firm’s Veterans Group, successfully represented a U.S. Navy Petty Officer and his wife against an eviction action filed by their landlord for alleged nonpayment of rent. Partner Chris Kolos assisted on the matter.
•
Partner Stephen Moss (FTL) and Associate Nick Hasenfus (BOS), both members of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) Veterans Task Force, worked with fellow task force members to develop a report that sets out key recommendations for increasing veterans’ access to civil legal aid. The Report of the Veterans Task Force lists Holland & Knight’s Veterans Group as a recommendation for other law firms and corporate law firms to emulate under “Signature Pro Bono Projects.” The firm’s Veterans Group infographic is also referenced and linked.
•
A team of attorneys from Holland & Knight’s Boston office helped a homeless single mother and her two young children obtain access to an emergency shelter and, less than a Diane month later, move into a low-income McDermott apartment in February. The pro bono case was brought to Holland & Knight’s attention through Women’s Lunch Place, a day shelter in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood that provides food and individualized services for women experiencing homelessness or poverty. Partner Diane McDermott has supported and been involved with Women’s Lunch Place for many years. Accordingly, when Women’s Lunch Place couldn’t find a solution for the family, the organization reached out to Diane, and many colleagues in the Boston office came together to help,
(WPB) and Associate Alexander Dudley (FTL) led the team and received assistance from Practice Assistants Michelle Arias and Carmen Ramsey (both FTL). After Hurricane Irma hit South Florida in September 2017, the client hired a roofing company to repair the damage to his home. However, after the company completed the work, water began to leak into the client’s home, causing further damage and mold growth, and portions of the home became uninhabitable. Nevertheless, the roofing company ignored the client’s numerous requests to remedy the deficiencies, leaving the property in disrepair.
including Partners Ben Howe, Jennifer Whalen, Ned Hall, Anthony Freedman and former Partner Brett Carroll, along with Associates Nick Hasenfus and Saqib Hossain. •
A team of attorneys from Holland & Knight’s San Francisco office has settled a complicated pro bono elder abuse, landlord-tenant case for an elderly, disabled minority female homeowner who was at risk of losing her home. Partner Sarah Marsey, along with Associates Jaime Herren and Jacqueline Harvey (all SFO), represented the client, a civil rights advocate who has dedicated her life to advocating for racial equality and protesting against, among other things, San Francisco’s discriminatory housing practices. In addition, Paralegal Ruthe Canter (SFO) took in the case and worked diligently to find attorneys willing to help the client.
•
A Holland & Knight team has handled a variety of legal work for pro bono client Taylor Duncan and the Alternative Baseball Organization (ABO), which gives teens and adults with autism and other special needs the chance to play baseball. Practice Assistant Derrick Denny (CLT) saw a feature about Mr. Duncan, a young man on the autism spectrum, and shared the story with Partner Kevin Christmas (CLT/PHL). The two reached out to Mr. Duncan and offered the firm’s support on a pro bono basis. In addition, Partners Mark Francis (NYC) and David Lisko (TPA), Associate Leah Messler (PHL) and others have served as ABO’s outside general counsel since August 2019, handling corporate, data privacy, intellectual property and related matters. Mr. Duncan originated the idea of the ABO in 2016 based on his experiences as a child, when he always wanted to play sports but was often denied opportunities due to misconceptions about his abilities. Today, he serves as ABO commissioner and has shared his story and passion for baseball through more than 400 local and national media outlets.
•
A pro bono team from the West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale offices successfully represented a U.S. military veteran in a lawsuit against a roofing company after a hurricane caused significant damage to his property. Partner Sandra Heller
•
A pair of attorneys from Holland & Knight’s MidAtlantic Land Use Team recently secured critical zoning approval from the District of Columbia’s Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA) for the development of Mary’s House An artist’s rendition of proposed for Older Adults communal housing for Mary’s House Inc. Partner for Older Adults Inc. Kyrus Freeman and Associate Christopher Cohen (both WAS) led the effort in securing approvals from the community and the D.C. Office of Planning, the Department of Transportation and Kyrus ultimately the BZA for the proposed Freeman development. The approval enables the construction of a continuing care retirement community for seniors ages 60 years and older who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer or same gender-loving (LGBTQ/SGL). The communal living home will be the first Christopher of its kind in the District of Columbia and Cohen will be entirely affordable. Mary’s House for Older Adults Inc. is a nonprofit organization that develops brick and mortar housing targeting the cultural needs of LGBTQ/SGL elders. Its vision is to create a living environment that celebrates and honors the whole person as they age, no matter who they are. 16
Take Five with Kristin Asai This inaugural edition of “Take Five” is based on a video by Partner Kristin Asai (POR) from Holland & Knight’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month video series (for a link to each episode, see page 8). Ms. Asai, based in the firm’s Portland office, describes her family’s experience in the U.S. Japanese internment camps during World War II and recalls her grandmother’s stories about the three years in internment as well as the discrimination they faced after returning to Hood River. Listening to these stories growing up inspired Ms. Asai to become a lawyer and advocate for underrepresented communities so that their voices are heard.
1. FAMILY AND BACKGROUND I’m a Yonsei, a fourth-generation Japanese American. I was born in Oregon, and my family immigrated to the United States in the late 1800s. My great grandfather came to this country with nothing. He brought his wife over a few years later, and they started orchards in the Hood River Valley of Oregon. The Hood River area was very welcoming to the Japanese community. There was a large Japanese community of farmers and orchardists in that area. Because of that, the community started many Japanese-related schools, and the Japanese American Citizens League had a group out in Hood River for that community. But also because of that meant that they were specifically targeted when World War II happened and the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the president’s executive order to remove all Japanese Americans from the West Coast. My family was part of that.
2. SURVIVING THE INTERNMENT CAMPS My great-grandfather was forcibly removed from his home. Several of the family’s artifacts were destroyed. My greatgrandmother and her children were then taken to Portland, which is about an hour and a half from the Hood River 17
Kristin Asai
area, to the Portland Assembly Center, where all Japanese Americans from Oregon were taken to get numbered and determined where they would end up. They boarded trains where the windows were all covered in black so that no one would know where they were going, and first were taken to Pinedale, California, several hundred miles south, then to Tule Lake, where barracks were constructed for the internees, which were basically horse farms. The family was then taken to Heart Mountain, Wyoming. What’s important about this is that, again, my family had only known Oregon. They had had an orchard, they were used to the Pacific Northwest and were taken to communities that were entirely desert, where they had to grow much of their own food because the food provided from the U.S. government oftentimes had expired or gone bad. My grandma told me when I was in college that she has very strong memories working in the kitchen because it was her job to take all of the packaged hot dogs that arrived from the government that were covered with mold, and she had to scrape them off with a knife before they could boil them and serve them. So much of my family lived there for the entirety of World War II. My grandfather and great uncle, who are the eldest in the family, joined the military and have since posthumously received the Congressional Gold Medal for their work in the world war, serving a country that then interned and took away all the civil rights of their family members.
3. DISCRIMINATION BACK HOME
When they returned to Hood River, our family was the first family to return to the Hood River Valley and were faced with incredible discrimination, much like what we’re hearing about in the news today: being spit upon, being said awful racial epithets to, being turned away from businesses, having rocks thrown at them, having dogs “sic” on them. And it was an incredibly difficult period. However, there were some very friendly and supportive neighbors who made it so that the Japanese community coming back to the valley had a place to go. Several Japanese families lost everything, because when you’re gone from your home and your orchard or your farm for two, three, four years, there may be nothing to recover at that point. It could be the land destroyed. And in many cases, white families just took over the land as their own, and there weren’t really any rights that the Japanese returning families had. However, my family was fortunate. They had developed good relationships with the neighbors. And the reason that our family still has our orchard is because the kind neighbors looked after our home and orchards for the entirety of the internment.
4. FINALLY, AN APOLOGY I learned about our family’s involvement and history of World War II as a pretty young child because the photographs were on my grandparents’ wall. One of the things that was most important to them was the apology from the U.S. government. They had the letter from, I believe it’s President Reagan, on their wall for the entire time that I lived. And I always asked about that, “Why did you have a letter from the president?” My grandfather, it was very meaningful to him to say, “The government apologized for what they did to us.” And I got to hear about both of their times. Again, my grandfather was in service for much of that time, and my grandmother was incarcerated the entire time.
5. AN INSPIRED MISSION Learning about those stories, learning about how the kindest person I’ve ever met – my grandmother – to hear that she was treated so unfairly is what prompted me to
want to study civil rights, to want to become a lawyer, to want to look out for communities that maybe didn’t have a voice, and what continues my goal of advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion, and underrepresented communities. Because I know that if those of us with power and privilege don’t do so, there’s nothing that we can do for those whose rights are being stripped. Again … my great grandfather and great grandmother didn’t speak English. They had no way to know really what was happening to them as they were being herded away. And part of our cultural value was not to complain and to do what the government said and just to continue to try and make the best out of every situation. And so that’s why as a lawyer now it’s important to me to think about who isn’t at the table, whose voice is not being heard right now. How can we make it more inclusive? How can we make sure that we are not doing the same thing that happened to this huge community of people who were U.S. citizens and lost everything?
Thank You for Reading We hope you enjoyed this edition of Inclusion in Action and reading highlights of the firm’s efforts and successes in building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization in the first half of 2021. If you have any questions about the firm’s DEI initiatives, please contact Diversity Partner Tiffani Lee (MIA), Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Nichole Dotson-Olajuwon (HOU) or Business Analytics and Diversity Manager Hamlet Bonilla (OPC). 18
Copyright © 2021 Holland & Knight LLP All Rights Reserved
