Habari | April 24, Vol. 1

April 8, 2024

Director’s Corner

Hello, new & returning friends! Thanks for taking the time to check out Habari. I hope you will learn something that encourages you to be a better ally and engage with others meaningfully. Some of you may have been missing Habari over the last few weeks. We are working on some exciting new changes, so I appreciate your patience!

March was the month of the woman! It was a time to celebrate the contributions of women in history and contemporary society. This year’s theme was “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion.” Though women make up half of the population of this country, women’s history is still not widely represented in school curricula, especially those from diverse backgrounds. Organizations like the National Women’s History Alliance are “committed to ensuring women’s history becomes mainstream. Since 1988, Congress and the president have annually issued resolutions and proclamations declaring March as Women’s History Month. I hope you will think about the amazing impact women have had on this country and around the world and the power of representation to the mighty generation of young girls!

April is a month full of awareness. It is Celebrate Diversity Month which was initiated in 2004 to recognize and honor the diversity of the world around us. “It highlights the urgency of understanding other cultures to ensure a better world.” April is also Autism Acceptance Month, which was established to raise awareness about and acceptance of the developmental differences that impact those on the Autism Spectrum. It is also the month to recognize the negative impact of stress and raise awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence.

Please use this month to not only challenge your biases and celebrate the beautiful differences that make up our world but also educate yourself on the events and traumas that are happening in this world and how we deal with and prevent them.

“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Prize laureate, activist

Diversity Dictionary, Tips, Guides

DEI Dictionary

Learn and expand your vocabulary with new inclusive words each month.

Allyship Tips

Tips to focus on actions and behaviors that make an impact as an ally.

DEI Committees

Tips on how to start, plan and engage DEI Committees.

Law School Issues

Having been in law school admissions for many years, data surrounding diversity has always been of particular interest to me. If you are not in the law school space, you may miss some of the trends that are happening. Check out this blog post by James Leipold from LSAC that breaks down the diversity of the incoming class of 2023, which has been noted as the most diverse class in history. There is still work to be done!

Resources

Every issue, I will share different resources to check out! There’s no need for offense if you don’t like or agree with something on the list. As I was taught, eat the meat & spit out the bone!

It has been a while since we’ve had a good book list! Check out these books by or about the awareness celebrations in April. Remember our rule! If you aren’t interested or don’t like the topic or the people, don’t spoil it for others. Happy reading…

BOOKS
• Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
• In a Different Key: The Story of Autism by John Donvan & Caren Zucker
• A Country Called Amreeka by Alia Malek
• Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World by Zahra Hankir
• Stress to Calm in 7 Minutes for Lawyers by Beverley Densham & Janey Lee Grace (Pre-order)
• Stress Reduction for Lawyers, Law Students, & Legal Professionals by Stephen Snyder
• At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, & Resistance – A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power by Danielle L. McGuire
• Written on the Body: Letters from Trans & Non-Binary Survivors of Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence edited by Lexi Bean
• The Beginning & End of Rape: Confronting Sexual Violence in Native America by Sarah Deer

Technology Tip

Have you done a technology review of your organization recently or looking to get started? According to Reuters, if you are just getting started, “begin at the recruitment phase to analyze which technology could remove bias in candidate selection and sourcing. Next, move on to how micro- or bite-size e-learning and online training can support the adoption of new behaviors.

Then, focus on your data to ensure you automate progress and establish easy-to-use ways to keep up with how the representation of diverse employees is changing at each level of your organization. Finally, determine what technology is useful to support employee engagement and retention going forward.”

Month-Long April Celebrations

National Arab American Heritage Month
Celebrate Diversity Month
Autism Acceptance Month
Stress Awareness Month
National Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April Observances and Holidays