IndyBar: ‘Be the Change You Wish to See in the World’ – Mahatma Ghandi

By Shelley Jackson, Krieg DeVault LLP and Mike McBride, Cohen & Malad LLP

On Feb. 17, 2022, a historic networking event occurred among the Marion County Bar Association (MCBA), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Indiana (APABA), Indianapolis Bar Association (IndyBar) and Indianapolis Bar Foundation (IndyBar Foundation). Leaders and members from all four groups came together to share missions, revisit legacies and forge a path forward rooted in community dialogue and collaboration. The collective wisdom encompassed by these organizations spans more than two centuries and the energy in the room was palpable. In our roles as vice president of IndyBar (Shelley) and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) accountability chair for the IndyBar Foundation (Mike) and as active supporters of all four organizations, this event offered an important opportunity for diverse members of our legal community to come together to continue to bring the best of all four organizations to fruition.

The IndyBar’s mission is to “serve our members, promote justice and enhance the legal profession.” The IndyBar Foundation mission is to “advance justice and lead positive change in Indianapolis through philanthropy, education and service.” As leaders in these organizations, we are drawn to the shared emphasis on service and relentless pursuit of justice in enhancing our profession. Our shared commitment to DEI is just one way the missions of the IndyBar and the IndyBar Foundation come to fruition each day.

On July 8, 2020, amid a renewed sense of urgency to pursue racial justice following the killings of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and others, the IndyBar held the inaugural meeting of its Commission on Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Indianapolis Legal community (commission), led by the Hon. Carr Darden and past IndyBar president James Bell and comprised of 25 IndyBar members from all areas of our legal community. The commission’s statement of purpose articulates IndyBar’s vision:

We recognize that issues related to racial equality, diversity, and inclusion in the Indianapolis legal community is a historically large and complex issue that cannot be addressed by a single set of concrete action steps. Instead, we acknowledge that we must self-examine by empaneling a standing commission that is empowered to investigate and report on the state of equality, diversity, and inclusion within IndyBar, and build IndyBar’s capacity to serve as a leader and catalyst for change within the Indianapolis legal community as a whole.

Throughout the next several months, the commission worked to develop the IndyBar’s DEI plan, which IndyBar’s board of directors reviewed, discussed in detail and voted to approve. IndyBar’s DEI Plan is entering its second year of implementation with guidance and oversight from the commission. In 2021, the IndyBar focused primarily on looking inward as an organization by challenging IndyBar staff and leadership to identify ways to build a more racially inclusive experience for IndyBar members through partnering with diverse vendors, building more diverse and inclusive continuing education programming and fostering diverse perspectives within sections and committee leadership. This year, the IndyBar is expanding its focus in Phase 2 of the DEI Plan and will explore ways to support diversity, equity and inclusion principles within the broader legal communities we serve.

The IndyBar Foundation is also developing and implementing a similar plan in 2022. After a detailed discussion about DEI initiatives during the annual board retreat, the first phase of the IndyBar Foundation’s plan has already begun with a similar looking inward process as the IndyBar completed in 2021. Each of the IndyBar Foundation’s numerous committees tasked with organizing and holding events throughout the year have already met with the DEI accountability chair to create a plan for increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the IndyBar Foundation’s efforts and service. Committees are starting to implement these plans and intend to reconvene later in the year to review progress and additional goals for the years to come. Moreover, the IndyBar and IndyBar Foundation are working together to identify DEI vendors and educators to provide training to their board members and a referral list for local firms and attorneys looking to complete training on their own. Both organizations intend to publicly report their efforts and progress to transparently show changes made and further hold themselves accountable in reaching these goals.

As we work together on these critically important issues, several key principles have emerged. First, our shared commitment to change only makes us stronger; our DEI Plan builds upon the IndyBar Association and Foundation’s strong legacy of community leadership while challenging us to view our path forward with an intentionally inclusive lens. Second, bold action requires both courage and humility; we must be willing to listen to each other and constantly challenge ourselves to consider what it means to belong, especially in spaces where we are part of the “in” crowd. Third, members of our legal community from all backgrounds and identities are part of this incredible shared and sometimes challenging journey; we are creating our shared legacy. Fourth, while metrics and numbers cannot tell the whole story, they can provide a measure of accountability and transparency as we chart our progress. There is a litany of scholarship showing that our efforts to increase racial diversity, equity and inclusion within our legal community have not found consistent success and, in some cases, have failed. As leaders of the IndyBar Association and Foundation we are prepared to challenge that lack of progress by starting with ourselves.

The great poet and author Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our charge as leaders within the IndyBar Association and Foundation is to build upon our rich history of service and leadership to create truly diverse, inclusive and equitable organizations. Our community members of all backgrounds and identities must feel that the IndyBar Association and Foundation are welcoming, affirming and supportive organizations, and we must be intentional in identifying and dismantling practices which may be unintentional yet are nonetheless exclusionary. Our work does not end here; it begins here, and we ask that you join us.•

This article is based upon the opinion of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of all members of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Indiana Lawyer or the authors’ respective law firms.