Pursuit of equitable access to the legal system and equity for women and communities who are systemically oppressed requires an inclusive, respectful, and harassment-free community of legal professionals and attention to issues of gender, gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, age, pregnancy or lactation status, parental status, marital status, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, and disability. Individual members are expected to make time for self-education and reflection around those issues, including, but not limited to, the topics found in the list below.
These resources have been selected to bring attention to some of the issues as well as to promote strategies to challenge discriminatory attitudes. Articles are alphabetical by title. Quotes have been included after a link to highlight articles with specific tools for looking after the needs of others to affirm identities and to promote a community of inclusion and belonging for everyone.
Oregon resources for the legal community
Attacking Bias: Invidious Harassment and Discrimination as Professional Misconduct
Oregon Bench and Bar Commission on Professionalism
OSB Bulletin Bar Counsel Column on 2023 Proposed Changes to RPC 8.4(a)(7)
OSB Event Anti-Harassment Policy
National resources for the legal community
21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge
The goal of the Challenge is to assist each of us to become more aware, compassionate, constructive, engaged people in the quest for racial equity. It transcends our roles as lawyers. Non-lawyers are also welcome to participate.
ABA Commission on Women report highlights effects of parenting on law careers
Information about Diversity in Our Profession
Rule 8.4(g) and its comments set forth the expectations for lawyers’ professional conduct, whether in court, in the office, at a professional social function, or in a Bar Association or civic meeting… If nothing else, the rule is an invitation for lawyers to consider another person’s viewpoint before speaking or acting.
Promoting a community of inclusion and belonging
12 Common Words and Phrases You May Not Realize Are Ableist
Ageism is one of the last socially acceptable prejudices
Can friendships survive kids? Parents and child-free people talk about why it’s so hard
Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others
Everyone can still be surprised by their own biases, and that can make people feel vulnerable or defensive. But people need to push through that reaction.
Confronting racism is not about the needs and feelings of white people
Too often whites at discussions on race decide for themselves what will be discussed, what they will hear, what they will learn.
How the Best Bosses Interrupt Bias on Their Teams
Although bias itself is devilishly hard to eliminate, it is not as difficult to interrupt.
How to Apologize for a Racist Comment
Even if you don’t understand why, act with the assumption that the person has a very good reason for saying that they’re offended.
How to Resist Competitive Parenting
How to Respond to an Offensive Comment at Work
Your colleague says something that immediately makes you feel uncomfortable. He thinks he’s just being funny, but the comment is inappropriate — maybe even offensive, sexist, or racist.
We were teaching everybody how to come out and say stuff that makes people uncomfortable… What we forgot to do is teach people how to listen to it.
Let’s End Body Shaming in the Workplace
Misgendering: What it is and why it matters
Using the correct terms for someone is a sign of respect and recognition that you see them as they see themselves.
New Bill Would Offer Paid Leave for Pregnancy Loss and Other Family-Building Losses
News Influencers, Opioid Disparities, and AI Bias in Healthcare
Participants expressed distrust of authority figures, celebrity endorsements, and fact-checking efforts. Many cited challenges in accessing accurate information due to institutional biases and systemic inequalities, such as discriminatory media algorithms and lack of representation in traditional newsrooms.
Respectful Interactions: Disability Language and Etiquette
The Equal Rights Amendment Explained
For those of us who grew up feeling that feminism had basically done its work, the past few decades have been nothing but wake-up call after wake-up call.
The Impact of Gender Expectations on Boys and Young Men
The Medical Community Says Abortion Access Is Health Care. Here’s Why
This is What Racism Looks Like
Making these stories visible is the first step to seeing and then taking responsibility for the history of racism entrenched in the systems and institutions in which we live and work.
Tokenism May Cause the Following Side Effects
Welfare Money Is Paying for a Lot of Things Besides Welfare
What is “Intersectional Feminism”?
What the Anti-woke Backlash Against Liberal Feminism Misses About Causes Like the Gender Pay Gap
What We Get Wrong About the DEI Backlash Narrative
Why Inclusive Leaders Are Good for Organizations, and How to Become One
Words can make the difference between forging trust or creating distance. Language can also be used to indicate who is included and who is not. Our language must continually evolve with our understanding and acceptance of diverse groups of people.
Why Intersectional Stories Are Key to Helping the Communities We Serve
To avoid creating limiting and partial narratives, support communities in telling their own stories. When we do this, we ultimately share the full humanity of people—people who live multifaceted and unique lives—and avoid creating narratives that define people and issues by a single experience or identity.
