What I Learned About Inclusion and Why It Matters

WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT INCLUSION AND WHY IT MATTERS By: David H. Dupree

Law Office of David Dupree

BECAUSE I CAN’T FORGET

It was an ordinary Tuesday. I had been to court, so I was in my normal professional attire. After court, I went to my noonday men’s Bible study, a relatively diverse group of men evenly split between Black and White. Afterwards, I decided to stop in Food City across the street. As I approached the entrance, an elderly white lady was just leaving the store. As we got close enough to pass each other, she shuffled as quickly as she could to the edge of the sidewalk, moved her purse from her side, and clutched it closely to her chest. My suit and tie did not matter. The relationships I’ve forged with my brothers of a different color did not matter. And I knew better than to as much as speak to the lady or look at her directly-things I learned in the 1960s as a kid. Still, none of that mattered. All she saw was a Black man who posed a potential threat.

Why do I relate this story? Because I can’t forget. It is not just a story to me; unfortunately, it is my life and the life of many other persons of color. On the one hand, there is this great group of men meeting weekly, leaving predilections at the door, and committed to becoming better. On the other hand, there is the clear reminder of the stain that taints this country and continues to daily rear its ugly head.

As stated in an article from the ABA, “Racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession is necessary to demonstrate that our laws are being made and administered for the benefit of all persons.” The concept of diversity encompasses all persons of every background, gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and/or disability.1 The ABA further defines diversity as “the term used to describe the set of policies, practices, and programs that change the rhetoric of inclusion into empirically measurable change.”2 Diversity is just the right thing to do even in a county where the Black population is less than 10%.

To quote an excerpt from the 1978 Bakke decision, “Reality rebukes us that race has too often been used by those who would stigmatize and oppress minorities. Yet we cannot—and, as we shall demonstrate, need not … let color blindness become myopia which masks the reality that many ‘created equal’ have been treated within our lifetimes as inferior both by the law and by their fellow citizens.”3

Here we are more than 40 years later, and this quote is just as relevant now as it was then. Are there strides? Back-to-back female mayors in Knoxville, and an African-American female Juvenile Court magistrate could be considered strides. Then there are other scenarios that give pause, such as the current attempt to denigrate the Knoxville 6th District voting block through redistricting. Theoretically, that should not mean anything, but it may effectively mean that the one city council position that has been dominated by a black representative for those 40+ years will no longer be.

The event at Food City happened about 10 years ago. However, the indelible imprint it left on my mind remains. Other incidents since then (as recent as a month ago) continue to underscore the need for equality, diversity, and conversations on critical race theory that are postulated by many as “not my problem,” or the ever present “just get over it” syndrome. I would gladly get over it if not for the constant reminders that it “ain’t” over.

1 Diversity in Law: Who Cares, ABA, April 30, 2016. 2 Id. 3 Regents of University of California v. Bakke, 438 U.S. 265, 327, 98 S.Ct. 2733, 57 L.Ed.2d 750 (1978).