SIDEBAR Summer/Fall 2020 - 34

MONTGOMERYBAR.ORG

SIDEBAR FEATURE

"TIED IN A
SINGLE GARMENT
OF DESTINY"
By Lauren A. Hughes, Esq.

y journey into the Montgomery Bar
Association was launched, like that
of most attorneys, with a free MBA
membership welcoming us into our first of
many years of practice. As a Norristown native,
I was excited to finally enter the building I grew
up driving by on a regular basis, now with the
"ESQ" designation behind my name.
When I walked into my first MBA event,
a Diversity Committee meeting, I was greeted
with everything but diversity, specifically racial/ethnic diversity.
At this particular meeting, I sat around a table with a group of
lawyers that talked about diversity initiatives but nobody at the
table looked like me. Honestly, after that meeting, I vowed to
never attend another event because if I couldn't find people that
looked like me at the diversity committee meeting, where could
I find them within the MBA?!?
Three years later, I was invited to join the MBA's Leadership
Academy. The year I spent with my Academy class opened
my eyes to all the MBA had to offer. I relished every moment
spent with my Academy class; however, other than one other
participant, diversity was still lacking. I voiced my concerns
about the historical lack of diversity in the MBA to several
seasoned members of the Bar, but when I spoke with Nancy
Walsh, she encouraged me to be the change I wanted to see.
Now, five years after I walked into my very first MBA event,
I am proud to serve as the MBA's Diversity Committee CoChair alongside my Leadership Academy classmate, Jimmy
Chong. President Patrick Kurtas and his unprecedented

34 SIDEBAR

commitment to diversity has helped the
Diversity Committee promote a culture of
diversity with programs like the 1L Summer
Internship Program, continuing legal education,
and encouraging partnerships with existing
affinity bars in the local area.
In a rash of high profile killings of unarmed
black males that culminated with the recorded
killing of George Floyd by a white police officer,
the Diversity Committee was called upon to
confront the complex issues of diversity, equity and inclusion
within the MBA and the Montgomery County community.
In June, the Committee invited State Representative Joanna
McClinton to discuss "Racism in America, Law and Politics."
Over 150 members joined the Zoom call to hear about her
experience with police misconduct as a Public Defender and
pending legislation in Harrisburg regarding police reform.
The Diversity Committee recognizes that conversations
about racism and racial injustice must continue. President
Kurtas and Kristen Feden moderated our first installment of a
multi-part "We Need to Talk" series. [For a sample of the candid
and emotional conversations in this session, see the transcript of
Kristen's opening remarks on p. 36.] The Committee called on
MBA leaders to engage in a candid discussion about racism in
hopes to develop a list of goals and next steps to combat it. The
Diversity Committee will be hosting these candid conversations
monthly, on the last Tuesday of the month from 11am to 1pm;
possible topics include: the Criminal Justice System, Wrongful
Convictions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and Systemic

http://www.montgomerybar.org

SIDEBAR Summer/Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of SIDEBAR Summer/Fall 2020