>> DR. KAT BE SAFE AND THANK YOU
FOR JOINING.
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN PLANS TO
KEEP HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISE TO
NOMINATE A BLACK WOMAN TO
SUPREME COURT.
AND A NUMBER OF NAMES ARE NAMED
TO THE PROVERBIAL SHORT LIST,
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS
AND MORE ARE ASSISTANT PROFESSOR
OF MANAGER AT BAROKUE COLLEGE.
AND KORI CAREW AND AUDRA WILSON.
THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US.
TSEDALE, START WITH YOU, WHAT
DOES THIS PROMISE MEAN IN A
LEGAL WORLD THAT WE KNOW IS
STATISTICALLY MOST MALE AND
WHITE?
>> IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT MOMENT
FOR US TO HAVE A BLACK WOMAN TO
SIT ON THE SUPREME COURT IS TO
PUBLICLY SAY THAT WE HAVE BEEN
EXCLUDED.
RIGHT.
AND TO PROVIDE ACCESS
OPPORTUNITY FOR OTHER WOMEN AND
SPECIFICALLY BLACK WOMEN TO
ENTER IN THIS SPACE.
I THINK THAT BIDEN IS MAKING A
BOLD MOVE HERE BUT ONE THAT
SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE DECADES
AGO.
RIGHT.
AND WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN TERMS
OF PREVIOUSLY ELEVATING BLACK
WOMEN IN THE COURTS.
AND WE NEED TO BE SUPPORTIVE AND
VOCAL TO WHAT THIS MEANS TO
ACCESS OF BLACK WOMEN
OPPORTUNITY.
>> AUDRA WILSON, WHAT IS YOUR
REACTION?
>> SAME AS TSEDALE.
IT'S LONG OVERDUE AND MILESTONES
TO HAVE A BLACK MALE AND TO GO
THIS LONG BEFORE A BLACK WOMAN
IS APPOINTED TO ME IS
UNCONSCIONABLE.
AND HAPPY TO SEE THAT PRESIDENT
BIDEN HAS MADE THIS NOMINATION
AND THE DEPTH HE HAS TO CHOOSE
FROM.
AND THE PEOPLE ON THE SHORT LIST
IS FORMIDABLE AND EXCITING HOW
RICH OUR POOL OF JURISTS THERE
IS TO BE SELECTED.
>> KORI, TALK ABOUT THE SYSTEMIC
OBSTACLES THAT BLACK WOMEN FACE
IN THE LEGAL INDUSTRY.
>> THANK YOU, THAT'S AN
EXCELLENT QUESTION, AND
OBVIOUSLY THAT'S PART OF WHY
THIS MOMENT IS SO INCREDIBLE.
YOU KNOW BLACK WOMEN FACE A LOT
OF OBSTACLES IN THE LEGAL
PROFESSION.
WE TALK ABOUT THIS CONCEPT OF
INTERSECTIONALITY AND FOR BLACK
WOMEN THE GENDER OBSTACLES ARE
DOUBLE WHAMMY THAT HAS
EXPONENTIAL IMPACT ON THEIR
CAREERS.
AND ONE IS LACK OF SPONSORSHIP,
LACK OF LEADERSHIP.
THE LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES AND
ABILITIES FOR THOSE
FUNDAMENTALLY RICH OPPORTUNITIES
THAT ALLOW THEM TO THRIVE IN THE
ORGANIZATION.
AND LACK OF SENSE OF BELONGING
AND INCLUSION.
ALL OF THESE ARE FACTORS THAT
IMPACT THE PROGRESS OF BLACK
WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION.
AND THE MOVEMENT THAT WE SEE
AWAY FROM LAW FIRM INTO THE
PUBLIC SECTOR, INTO GOVERNMENT
AND NONPROFIT AND THE PUBLIC
SECTOR WHERE OUR CLIENTS ARE.
AND THOSE ARE SOME OBSTACLES
THEY FACE AND IN COMPARISON TO
OTHER DEMOGRAPHICS WITH THE
PRACTICE OF LAW, BLACK WOMEN
TEND TO REMAIN IN THE PROFESSION
EVEN IF THEY MOVE OUT OF LAW
FIRMS.
>> AUDRA, KORI MENTIONED THIS,
AND TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
MENTORSHIP IN THIS INDUSTRY?
>> LEADERSHIP IS CRITICAL --
I'LL GO FIRST.
>> GO AHEAD.
>> HERE'S A COMMON STATEMENT.
WE ARE OVER MENTORED AND UNDER
SPONSORED.
SO QUITE FRANKLY MENTORSHIP AND
THE LACK OF MENTORSHIP, HOWEVER
EVEN WHEN WE ARE MENTORED, WE
DON'T HAVE THAT SPONSORSHIP.
AND THE SPONSORSHIP IS A KEY
COMPONENT TO SUCCESS.
WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH
INFLUENCE AND RELATIONAL CAPITAL
THAT CAN TALK BUT AND RECOMMEND
YOU AND MENTION YOUR NAME IN THE
ROOMS WHERE YOU CANNOT GET IN.
AND THAT'S A KEY PART OF THAT
FOR EVERYONE.
AND BLACK WOMEN TEND TO NOT HAVE
ENOUGH SPONSORSHIP IN THEIR
ORGANIZATION, AUDRA, WHAT WOULD
YOU ADD?
>> I AGREE WITH THAT
WHOLEHEARTEDLY, ABOUT THAT
SPONSORSHIP.
AND IN MY PAST LIFE I WAS
DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY EDUCATION
AND OUTREACH AT NORTHWESTERN LAW
AND I FOCUSED THERE, AND WHEN WE
TALK ABOUT PIPELINE, IT'S NOT
JUST ATTRACTING AND GETTING MORE
PEOPLE IN COLOR, WHETHER BLACK
WOMEN OR MALES OR ANYONE OF
COLOR.
BUT SUPPORTING THEM ALL THE WAY
THROUGH LAW SCHOOL.
MAKING SURE THEY ARE ABLE TO
PASS THE BAR.
AND ESTABLISH A PIPELINE, IT'S
NOT A FIRM TRACK.
IT'S NOT JUST A NUMBERS GAME OF
MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR TO OCCUPY
HOMOGENOUS SPACES AND NEED THAT
SUPPORT MORE SO THAN ANY OTHER
GROUP.
WITHOUT THAT, PEOPLE WILL FALL
OFF AND WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT
THROUGH.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS
IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK OF
MENTORSHIP IN A BROADER CONTEXT
AND STARTS FROM EARLY ON AND
LASTS, EVEN WHEN PEOPLE HAVE
PASSED THE BAR AND BEGINNING TO
PRACTICE.
>> TSEDALE, WHO HIS PICK SHOULD
BE FOR THE NOMINATION, WHAT KIND
OF PAST NOMINATION DO YOU EXPECT
FOR HER?
>> I THINK LIKE ALL THINGS AND
WITH RESPECT TO BLACK WOMEN IN
PARTICULAR IN WHITE STATES,
THERE IS A LOT OF CHALLENGES
AHEAD.
AND AS KORI AND AUDRA MENTIONED
WE ARE LOOKING AT OBSTACLES THAT
BLACK WOMEN ARE HAVING TO
MITIGATE IN ORGANIZATIONS.
WHETHER APPEARANCE, AND
PERCEIVED AS PROFESSIONAL AND
COMPETENCE.
THE IDEA THAT MANY NOMINEES
CURRENTLY HAVE TO BATTLE
NARRATIVES AROUND THEIR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
WHETHER THEY ARE GOOD ENOUGH.
WHAT THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE IN
TERMS OF HOW THEY DO THE WORK
THAT IS NECESSARY.
I THINK THAT A LOT OF WOMEN,
WHOEVER ENDS UP IN THIS SPACE,
IN PARTICULAR, IS GOING TO FACE
CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN FACING.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE NEW, IT
WILL BE MORE DIFFICULT I BELIEVE
IN THOSE SPACES TO DO THE HARD
WORK THEY HAVE BEEN DOING.
BUT I THINK JUST WITH RESPECT TO
THAT SPONSORSHIP; RIGHT.
BEING SPONSORED IN THIS WAY IS
WHAT WILL GIVE THEM THE POWER TO
BE ABLE TO DO THEIR WORK.
TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY
WITH THE SUPPORT THEY NEED.
AND NO MATTER WHERE THEY END UP,
ANY OF THESE AMAZINGLY
CREDENTIALED WOMEN, HANDS DOWN,
THEY ARE GOING TO HAVE THE
SUPPORT OF SO MANY PROFESSIONALS
OF ALL RACES WHO ARE LOOKING
SPECIFICALLY TO SEE THIS HAPPEN.
I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT
THAT AS WELL.
>> AUDRA, SOME CRITICISM FROM
THE RIGHT HAS BEEN THAT THIS IS
ANOTHER FORM OF AFFIRMATIVE
ACTION, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
THAT?
>> SO BRENDA, I WILL TELL YOU
UNEQUIVOCALLY THAT IS OFFENSIVE
AND THE SUPPORT OF PRESIDENT
BIDEN TO SUPPORT A BLACK WOMEN
AND PROCLAMATION THAT I AM
SUPPORTING A BLACK WOMEN.
THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE THAT
AUTOMATICALLY PRESUMED THERE WAS
A QUESTION OF QUALIFICATION.
DOES THIS PERSON BELONG?
ARE WE GIVING A HAND OUT TO
SOMEONE WHO OTHERWISE WOULDN'T
BE DESERVING.
THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT GIVEN
THE BENEFIT OF A DOUBT AND THE
PRESIDENT WOULD NOT MAKE A
NOMINATION OF SOMEONE THAT IS
MORE THAN WORTHY.
THE WOMEN ON THE SHORT LIST OUT
RIVAL THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS,
THEY ARE STELLAR.
AND STILL WHEN THE PRESIDENT
SAYS I WOULD LIKE TO RECTIFY
THIS REPRESENTATION ON THE COURT
AND THAT IS OFFENSIVE AND CALLED
OUT AS IT IS RACIST.