Middle Templar 2020

Page 11

BLACK LIVES MATTER

EMMA HUGHES

Panel Discussion Emma Hughes is MTYBA’s Diversity & Inclusion Officer for 2020 and currently works at Miles & Partners Solicitors in the Public Family Law department. Middle Temple made the pursuit of a career at the Bar an attainable possibility by granting Emma a Jules Thorn Scholarship.

On Thursday 25 June 2020, the Middle Temple Students Association (MTSA) and Middle Temple Young Barristers Association (MTYBA) held a Black Lives Matter (BLM) Panel Discussion to show solidarity with the BLM Movement following the tragic death of George Floyd. We felt it was important to contribute to the narrative in the legal profession and discuss issues of racism, police brutality and racial profiling in light of the global protests. We invited an esteemed panel, including Master Elaine Banton, Courtenay Griffiths QC, Allison Munroe QC, Abimbola Johnson, Lola-Rose Avery, Aaron Mayers, and Ife Thompson, to discuss some of these profound issues and propose potential solutions. The Birth of the BLM Movement In 2013, 17 year-old Trayvon Martin was shot dead by a neighbourhood watch member, George Zimmerman; Martin had no criminal record. Zimmerman’s acquittal sparked widespread demonstrations and a national debate over racial profiling and the role of armed neighbourhood watches. We discussed the lack of education about black history and the benefits of making this a mandatory module on the British curriculum. To set the tone for the event, we held a minute’s silence to commemorate those who have tragically lost their lives in the UK and in the US, whilst in police custody, or due to racially motivated attacks. US We began by looking at issues and examples of racial discrimination in society through two stark examples. Firstly, the microaggressions surrounding the incident of Amy Cooper and Christian Cooper in Central Park on Monday 25 May 2020. This exemplified the weaponisation of a white woman’s tears and the term ‘Afro-American man threatening me’ used by Ms Cooper. What would footage of the circumstances that led to the brutal lynching of 14 year-old Emmet Till in Mississippi in 1955 have shown? The second was the murder of George Floyd, also on Monday 25 May 2020. Notably the officers in George Floyd’s case were not fired until the video went viral and were not charged of criminal offences until after protests. This urges the question, ‘what about all those historical incidents that may have been misconstrued by alleged “victims” in a time when smart phones didn’t exist?’. UK We examined the way in which black people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system but underrepresented at the Bar. For example, the disproportionate

number of black people stopped and searched in comparison to their white counterparts. We considered the concerning changes being proposed for the justice system; getting rid of trial by jury for either-way offences. Propositions such as this may have a detrimental effect on those who come into contact with the criminal justice system. The David Lammy Review found inequities in all different parts of our criminal justice system when it came to BAME defendants. Utilising our voices and registering our concerns with our members of parliament could counteract these proposals. BLM – why now? Lockdown has amplified the response from social media. BLM protests were declarations to eradicate and drive out systemic racism. Some responses have been reductive at best and performative at worst, using BLM as a marketing tool in some instances. Organisations deciding to put a logo for BLM on their Instagram or Twitter. It is fashionable now, but will it be in six months’ time? The challenge now turns to how we can translate those words into meaningful and lasting change. In order to achieve lasting sustainable change to make black lives better, the small elite who hold the reins of power must not be complacent with discriminatory systems which operate to oppress people and create an environment of tolerance. The Solutions At the Bar we see that BAME individuals are underrepresented at every level of the profession. Initiatives such as Bridging the Bar aspire to create a bridge between talented students from non-traditional backgrounds and the skills and experience necessary for a successful career at the Bar. Middle Temple’s Access to the Bar scheme also helps to facilitate social mobility. There are problematic trends which practitioners need to challenge going forward; for example, applications referring to multiple stop and searches, even though nothing has been found and there are no convictions. Inclusion and reliance on evidence of this nature in a criminal behaviour order application, gives the evidence validity without questioning the fact that the person has been targeted repeatedly. Calling out these demonstrations of racial profiling and wide sweeping assumptions of gang affiliation can create a higher level of accountability and enhance social justice. We can fall into the mentality that this is an intimidating and multi-faceted problem that is too big and complex to tackle. However, we would implore everyone to consider that in this problem lies an opportunity. The opportunity arises when we as individuals look to ourselves and the unique roles we each have to bring about the change that we want to see. We need to also use the power and influence we have at a grass roots level and as a collective well-resourced movement to bring about and demand the societal change so we can ensure we live in an environment where black lives really do matter.

2020 Middle Templar

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Temple Church Weddings

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page 145

New Masters of the Bench 2019-20

9min
pages 127-129

Middle Temple Students' Association

4min
page 126

Middle Temple Young Barristers' Association

7min
pages 124-125

Hall Committee

4min
page 123

The COIC Pupillage Matched Funded Scheme

3min
page 122

What Have the Bar Council and the Inn Ever Done for Me?

2min
page 119

Behind the Lens

8min
pages 116-118

Temple Residents' Association

4min
page 121

Valedictory: The Rt Hon. Lord Carnwath

7min
pages 114-115

Temple Church During Lockdown

7min
pages 112-113

Lent Reader’s Feast: The Highways, Byways and Blind Alleys of International Law

11min
pages 108-110

Temple Church Choir Summer Review

2min
page 111

Becoming a Barrister

15min
pages 103-105

Autumn Reader's Feast: Current Challenges in the Criminal Justice System

8min
pages 106-107

Talk to Spot

3min
page 102

The Divorce Blame Game is Nearly Over

6min
pages 100-101

You have the Right to Remain Unidentified

7min
pages 98-99

Levelling the Playing Field

8min
pages 96-97

A Day in the Country in Lockdown

9min
pages 92-93

Confronting the Challenges Presented by the Covid-19 Pandemic

8min
pages 90-91

Impeachment of a U.S. President

8min
pages 94-95

How Middle Temple Helped Me

3min
page 88

Don’t Let Commercial Awareness be a Bar to Success

4min
page 87

Student Life at the Inn

3min
page 86

In the Shoes of an Out of London Student

4min
page 85

The Inns of Court

3min
page 84

The ICCA Bar Course

3min
page 83

Troubled Journeys on the Path to Justice

3min
page 82

Turning the Tide against Corruption in the Congo

4min
page 81

My Journey to the Bar and Becoming the First Kurdish Iraqi Barrister

3min
page 80

Qualifying Sessions

4min
page 79

The Role of an Inn of Court

3min
page 78

Five Perspectives on Sponsorship

8min
pages 76-77

Advocacy at the Inn

7min
pages 74-75

Outreach

3min
page 72

Sherrard Conversations

3min
page 73

Mock Pupillage Interviews

7min
pages 68-69

Volunteering at Call Day

2min
pages 70-71

Mooting Trip to Cherokee

9min
pages 65-67

Education Update

4min
page 64

100 Years Since Helena Normanton's First Qualifying Session

2min
page 58

MTYBA & MTSA International Women's Day

2min
page 59

Créme de la Créme Climbing Rose

2min
page 62

Celebrating a Century of Women in Law

5min
pages 56-57

Circuit Societies

15min
pages 53-55

MTYBA Dark Waters Event

3min
page 63

The Rule of Law Under Attack

7min
pages 60-61

Working in the Seychelles

4min
page 52

An Increased Use of Technology in Gibraltar's Legal System

2min
page 51

Access to Justice during the Coronavirus Pandemic: The Malaysian Experience

8min
pages 48-49

Cross Border Practice in Europe and Brexit

4min
page 46

Business as Usual at the European Court of Justice Pending Brexit

7min
pages 44-45

Reflections on a Declaration of Friendship

7min
pages 42-43

Mind the Gap: The General Adjourned Period and the Coronavirus Pandemic in Hong Kong

4min
page 47

Amity Visit to Canada

6min
pages 40-41

Book Review: Equal Justice by Frederick Wilmot-Smith

3min
page 39

Book Review: Court Number One: The Old Bailey Trials that Defined Modern Britain by Thomas Grant

4min
page 38

Book Review: Simon Brown's Memoirs by the The Rt Hon The Lord Brown

4min
page 35

The Ceremonial Plate of the Middle Temple

4min
page 32

Lord Carson of Duncairn: Barrister, Statesman and Judge

11min
pages 27-29

Unshaken & Unshakeable

7min
pages 30-31

A Personal Collection of 15th Century Documents

17min
pages 23-26

Justiciability – A Forgotten Saga

9min
pages 33-34

Readers of the Temple: From the 16th to the 19th Century

9min
pages 20-22

A Potted History of the Office of the Under Treasurer

5min
pages 18-19

Equality and Diversity at the Bar Council

4min
page 13

The Spanish Influenza Pandemic

3min
page 17

Racial Equality, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Working Group

2min
page 12

Black Lives Matter

4min
page 11

BAME and the Bar

4min
page 10

From the Treasurer

6min
pages 8-9

Speech at the Inauguration of the Middle Temple LGBTQ+ Forum

11min
pages 14-16

Under Treasurers’ Forewords

8min
pages 6-7
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