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By Morgan Decker, Rubin & Levin PC
Years ago (and I do mean YEARS ago), a true rap anthem asked and answered:
Whose world is this?
The world is yours; the world is yours
It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine
If you were (and/or currently are) a fan of ’90s hip-hop and rap, you’ll know who coined this phrase. This simple question and affirmation have even greater meaning after planning, moderating and attending the most recent “The Seat is Yours” event hosted by the Indianapolis Bar Association. The July event was sponsored by Barnes & Thornburg LLP and was the culmination of months of hard work by many, many dedicated committee members and IndyBar staff.
The evening centered around conversations with esteemed (nonlawyer) panelists. Robert Shegog, CEO of Recorder Media Group, Akilah Darden of The Darden Group and IU Healths and Charlotte Westerhaus-Renfrow from the IU Kelley School of Business, shared their personal and professional experiences as typically underrepresented individuals in their respective fields. Each speaker gave the audience encouragement and examples of how they have forged ahead, flourished and found success despite sometimes being the only person with a seat at the table. As an individual who checks a lot of boxes of the recognized “diversity categories,” the conversation left me encouraged and left me proclaiming that this world is mine, mine, mine. Charlotte shared the importance of being your own champion and knowing and valuing who is championing you. Robert reiterated that as a young Black man from the South, he pushed past all preconceived notions of what he could become and continues to push those limits today. Akilah implored us to take on the hard work and don’t back down until you get the respect you deserve.
Whether you check certain “diverse” boxes or not, the panelists reiterated what each and every one of us can do better to improve diversity. Increasing diversity in industries where it’s lacking takes work. The panelists recognize this and make sure to pay it forward by doing excellent work and refusing to take “no” for an answer. This work is not easy, but it also isn’t hard. It’s incremental work. Start off small if you must. Champion others. Champion yourself. Mentor and volunteer. Attend “The Seat is Yours” event or other CLEs presented by diverse individuals or discussing diverse subject matter.
As lawyers, judges and other professionals in the legal field, we help create policies, laws and standards that the entire community must live by.
It’s important to create spaces in which different people can express countless ideas and perspectives that we do not have. Our companies, clients and communities are better served by our increased knowledge in ways that we cannot comprehend. Whose world is this? It’s all of ours. But if we don’t truly understand everyone, we will not reach our full potential in the legal field or in life.•
Morgan Decker is an associate attorney at Rubin & Levin PC, where she assists clients in navigating business-related legal matters, commercial collections and bankruptcy matters. She is a program chair for “The Seat is Yours” and chair of IndyBar’s Solo/Small Firm Practice Division.
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