这个故事最初出现在 Res国际公共部门会计标准局, 威尼斯人娱乐城法学院校友杂志 要了解更多信息， 阅读全文 or visit the 法学院网站.
2020年5月，乔治·弗洛伊德（George Floyd）被警察枪杀，震惊了全国，再次引发了结束数十年来渗透我国的系统性种族主义的呼吁。 It also renewed conversations among attorneys — for whom upholding justice isn’t simply a goal, but a sworn oath — about what important lessons the law community can learn from the Black Lives Matter movement.
我们听到了三名威尼斯人娱乐城法学院（威尼斯人娱乐城 法学院）毕业生的谈话，他们都以自己的方式继续与系统性种族主义作斗争。 They covered a vast array of topics — far too many to include here — but with a common thread: No matter where your law career has taken you, there is always work to be done to fight racial injustice. 通常，律师处于独特的领导地位。
与校友见面
艾德里安·b·海恩斯 (J.D. ’13)
艾德里安·b·海恩斯是精品商业律师事务所SEED Law的管理合伙人，也是咨询公司SEED Collective的所有者。 她也是多元文化商业联盟的创始人和主席，以及黑人女性律师网络的主席。 海恩斯因其创业和倡导工作而获得堪萨斯城商业杂志、考夫曼基金会、福布斯30位30岁以下青年和大堪萨斯城商会的荣誉。
肯德尔密封 (J.D. ’08)
肯德尔·希尔（肯德尔密封）是堪萨斯公民自由联盟的倡导主任，也是威尼斯人娱乐城法学院的兼职教授。 He previously served as Vice President and General Counsel for the Women’s Foundation and a lawyer for Legal Aid of Western Missouri. Following civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, Seal served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights – State Advisory Committee, which investigated the intersection of civil rights concerns and law enforcement practices over two years. 他擅长家庭暴力和人口贩卖法律。
肖恩该嫌疑人 (J.D. ’08)
肖恩·斯托沃斯（肖恩该嫌疑人）是霍尔曼·斯齐亚沃尼有限责任公司（Holman Schiavone， LLC）的民权律师。他最近刚刚结束了杰克逊县律师协会（Jackson County Bar Association）主席的两年任期，该协会是该地区最古老的黑人律师协会之一。 他还曾与倡导非裔美国人权益的政治组织“自由公司”（Freedom, Incorporated）合作，并在堪萨斯城警察问责特别工作组任职。 他曾无偿代表“黑人的命也是命”抗议者，最近还加入了威尼斯人娱乐城名誉院长埃伦·y·苏尼（Ellen Y. Suni）的一个项目，帮助人们清除犯罪记录，以便找到工作。
On why racial justice should matter to all attorneys
肖恩:该嫌疑人 我们必须决定，我们想成为什么样的国家？ 我们是要成为一个睁大眼睛的国家，还是闭上眼睛，表现得好像我们只是希望它会改善一样？ We have to take proactive steps to make sure it’s happening.
艾德里安·b·海恩斯： For me, as I grow, I’ve been working to really train that muscle of what it means to be a systems thinker, because I don’t think it’s just assumed or normal. 对我来说，有这三个核心能力可以帮助我理解什么是系统思维，以及我如何在工作中保持这种视角：看到更大系统的能力，促进反思和对话的能力，以及最终从被动解决问题转向共同创造未来的能力。 我认为如果你从这些开始，它可以让我们以更积极的角度看待问题，并从中得出一些行动项目。
肯德尔密封: Law schools — and higher education in general — really need to dedicate themselves to eradicating white supremacy in our society. I don’t think it’s enough to say we’re working toward justice. Law students have to be ready to meet the moment, and we’re doing them a disservice if we’re not making these conversations fundamental to their studies. 白人需要多倾听。 他们需要学会什么时候后退，什么时候前进。
“One of the things I’m reminded of is the state motto of Missouri, which says, ‘let the welfare of the people be the supreme law.’ Conversations about racial justice and equity and fairness go hand in hand with that.”
论倾听与忘却的艺术
ABH肯德尔，因为这要登在法学院的杂志上，我想我们应该谈谈。 你觉得法学院怎么能解决这个问题？ 是课堂吗？ 因为我在法学院的时候确实注意到我想成为一名公务员，但有时法学院会变得不那么关注人民，远离工作的真正核心。
KS: 我在法学院上过的最好的课程之一实际上是关于倾听的。 作为律师，我们的大部分工作就是找到答案，并试图了解一切。 可能be we can find ways in our legal education to help students and practitioners be more comfortable not “knowing everything” and creating opportunities for conversation and exploration. 无论是体验式学习还是课堂学习，我们都应该非常有意识。 你不应该在没有解决法律体系和社会中的系统性种族主义问题的情况下从法学院毕业。
ABH: You’re right, for there to be real change, it’s not a class — an elective makes it feel optional, so you’re right, it needs to be entrenched into the system.
SS: 当我和肯德尔2005年进入法学院时，我们一年级的班级大约有200人，只有4个黑人。 When I was in Constitutional Law and we talked about Plessy v. Ferguson and separate but equal, people would ask me, “Well how do you feel about that?” And there’s this thought that Black folks are supposed to act as the monolith for all things Black because you’re the only Black person in the room. That is a difficult situation for a lot of people of color, whether you’re in the classroom, the boardroom, the office, the neighborhood meeting. 我把这与肯德尔提到的倾听方面联系起来。 Listening can go a long way — listening to why a person of color might feel out of place.
ABH: Things like listening and failure, those soft skills, we don’t necessarily learn or talk about them directly in law school. In my own practice, there’s an expectation that I have the answers. And in our consultations we let people know — just training people away from that.
KS: 要改变，我们必须忘掉过去，以不同的方式做事。 We have to be honest, and I don’t know that as a profession we’re always completely honest about our shortcomings and where we have work to do.
“In our role as attorneys, you have an obligation to be a change-Maker，即使 you’re working in a corporate setting. 你仍然可以有所作为，帮助别人。”
在每个席位上反对系统性种族主义
ABH: 无论你在哪个实践领域工作，我们都必须进行自我反思。 If a year into the pandemic you’re an attorney wondering, “how do I help?”, you don’t have the right friends around you. ... Life is short, and we’ve got to use our time well, especially those of us who have a privilege like a law degree. Law school doesn’t necessarily make you a lawyer, it teaches you how to think — you’ll hear that all the time. As attorneys, to not see what’s going on in the world is to purposely not see it.
SS: 埃德里安娜说的一句话让我印象深刻：自我反思。 … What we have to do is acknowledge that people don’t always know racism when they see it. We have to be prepared to step up and say, “Could I be biased in this situation? I don’t mean to, I’m not a racist, but could I have an implicit bias I didn’t realize that I have?” It’s easy to point out when someone says the n-word, “oh that’s terrible, oh my gosh!” 对吧? That’s obvious. The difficult part is on the base level to be self-reflective and acknowledge, “it might be me.”
KS: 沉默的白人是这个问题的同谋。 从我的角度来看，这一点必须非常清楚。 If you’re doing nothing, then you’re part of the problem.
ABH: 我们知道这些事情需要勇气和忘却。 I’m in a Facebook group with women who run practices all over the world, and last week someone posted, “Oh my god, I’m sitting in court and the judge just discriminated against my client!” 她坐在那里，顺从地，然后在群里发帖。 If you feel something’s not quite right, you have to say something. 这需要勇气。
SS: 肯德尔谈到人们保持沉默。 There was an uncomfortable situation in court just the other year, and there was another attorney in the courtroom who followed me out and said, “Man, that was terrible.” And it made me think, yeah, you’re saying it to me, but would you say something to the judge? 因为你跟他说话会觉得很尴尬，想象一下我在台上听他跟我说话有多尴尬。
ABH: It reiterates for me the importance of black judges and diverse team members in all posts of the court, because otherwise you don’t have that advocacy.
SS: You don’t have to be saying the n-word or some derogatory term to have a bias in what you’re doing, even if you don’t realize it. 我们应该好好谈谈这事。 发人深思。
KS: It’s empathy. 人们有时会嘲笑它，但我认为我们必须教会他们同理心。 It has to be fundamental to what we’re doing, too. The appointments to the bench — that’s also a place of hope. 法律可以改变，律师可以成为解决方案的一部分。 它可以是积极的，可以是一个更好的故事。
“We gave this oath to support the Constitution and to practice law, ‘with consideration for the defenseless and oppressed.’ 有时我们会掩饰这些话。 但与昂贵的纸张相伴而来的是责任。 我希望我们能正确地对待这件事，并彼此相待。”
关闭的想法
ABH: 我只是想提醒大家与法学院和那些学生保持联系。 The things that they’re unlearning — let’s try to lovingly teach them that and be examples. Let’s change the perception of an attorney from the shark on TV to someone who’s more compassionate, a community member, someone who’s really self-aware and reflective — the best of us.
SS: In our role as attorneys, you have an obligation to be a change-Maker，即使 you’re working in a corporate setting. Even if you’re working at one of the largest law firms. 你仍然可以有所作为，帮助别人。 Adrienne talked about that oath we took when we first became attorneys — remember that. 参与其中，保持参与，花一些时间去帮助别人。
KS: We gave this oath to support the Constitution and to practice law, “with consideration for the defenseless and oppressed.” 有时我们会掩饰这些话。 We got sworn in, we took the picture, and we’ve got expensive paper on our wall. 但与昂贵的纸张相伴而来的是责任。 我希望我们能正确地对待这件事，并彼此相待。
