BAR REPORT - Juneteenth, a chance to commemorate and educate
NJSBA hosts Juneteenth program
June 21, 2021 at 08:04 AM
4 minute read
Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates the end of chattel slavery in the United States, was the basis of a program presented by the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Minorities in the Profession Section (MIPS) on the significance of the holiday and how the legal profession can help in the continued effort to battle injustice against African Americans.
Panelists for the program, titled "Juneteenth: More Than Just a Holiday, Learning from Our History and Fortifying Our Future," included Raymond M. Brown, partner, Pashman Stein Walder Hayden; Paula Edgar, CEO, PGE Consulting Group; Cliff Dawkins, assistant dean and director of the minority student program, Rutgers University; Cedric Ashley, of Ashley Law Firm; and NaSheena Porter, special deputy attorney general/acting assistant prosecutor, Union County.
Kenya Tyson, assistant provost, academic affairs and university curriculum, The New School, moderated the program, and James A. Lewis, chair of MIPS and executive director, office for diversity and inclusion, New York City Bar Association, introduced the program.
June 19 marks the date in 1865 that Black people who were enslaved in Texas were notified of the Emancipation Proclamation and freed—two-and-a-half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the measure outlawing slavery in Confederate states.
Long celebrated as a regional holiday, mostly in Texas and other Southern states, Juneteenth was made a federal holiday last week. The holiday has risen in prominence since the country's reckoning over the murder of George Floyd, violence against other African Americans and other social justice issues.
Ashley said it was important to note that Juneteenth symbolizes delayed freedom.
"And we're still facing delay in this country," he said.
Brown said Juneteenth could be viewed as a way of thinking about events in terms of struggle, which continues today with efforts to overturn some states' efforts to restrict voting rights or refusal to teach about racism and slavery.
"There is a battle in America over whether our narrative should be excluded by those who fear us, and those who hate us and those who have disdain for us; over whether our narrative is part of the core," he said.
Porter said Juneteenth is a starting point for the legal profession to address inequities.
"It can't be the one day that you deal with diversity issues. There has to be empathy and inclusiveness throughout the year. If it's not in the heart of your organization, then it's as if you're not doing anything at all," she said.
Edgar said leaders who are willing to show vulnerability and that they are open to learning can have a "trickle-down effect" on an organization.
"A lot of the coaching I do is with white male leaders about how to be in a space of vulnerability without giving up power in the way it's traditionally been seen and still be impactful," she said.
Dawkins said the generation coming up is less tolerant of inequities.
"They are willing to walk away from opportunities that are disaffirming…the talent will go where the talent is comfortable," he said.
Porter said it can be hard to retain people of color in the prosecutor's office.
"They often go to the defense side because they've heard that's where you can make the most change. But a prosecutor has prosecutorial discretion. I always think about, especially for nonviolent crimes, what is justice here? Not just justice for the victim, but what is justice for the defendant? What would be fair for what actually occurred, and always remembering the history … I'm always aware so I would ask other attorneys to become aware as well," she said.
"This is only a starting point, and hopefully lawyers will use their ability to help others in a positive way, no matter what type of law they practice," Porter said.
Black professionals are less than 5% of the legal community, she noted. "We cannot do it alone. That's where allies come in. Because we can't be the only ones facilitating change or it will never happen."
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