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    The Innovator | Summer 2023

    Volume 7 Issue 2  

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Minority Lawyers Contribute to the Swelling Number College and University Presidents with JDs

    Patricia E Salkin, JD, PhD, Author | Azuka Dike, Editor

    While lawyers make up less than 10% of college and university presidents, at HBCUs today, they account for about 20% of the presidents. Between the 2000s and the 2010s, the number of presidents at HBCUs that were lawyers quadrupled.

    Diversity & Inclusion

    Future Implications of SFFA v. Harvard: Potential Curtailing of Diverse Environments

    Marissa Meredith, Author | Tamara P. Nash, Editor

    In 2003, the United States Supreme Court clarified the standard necessary for institutions of higher education to establish admission processes that considered race as a factor.

    In this Issue

    Writers and Contributers

    About The Innovator

    The Innovator is the official newsletter of the American Bar Association’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. Published twice a year, The Innovator strives to keep you apprised of the Commission's work and spotlight the diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts of various Sections, Divisions, and Forums across the American Bar Association. The opinions expressed in The Innovator are those of the authors and shall not be construed to represent the policies of the American Bar Association or the Commission on Racial & Ethnic Diversity in the Profession.

    Editor's Note

    The Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession is thrilled to share the Summer 2023 edition of The Innovator with you! 

    Inside, you will find several features highlighting the fantastic work of the Association, its Sections, Division, and Forums, and several fantastic Association leaders. I am confident that you will join me in celebrating these good works. Each feature captures the palpable passion and enthusiasm to advance racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession and collective drive to meaningfully move the needle forward. 

    As we draw the 2022-2023 bar year to a close, the Commission thanks each of you for your individual and collective efforts to improve the status of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Association and profession. While this work is often strenuous, it is always worthwhile. 

    As we look to a fresh bar year and explore new and exciting goals for our respective entities, the Commission welcomes you to renew your commitment to Goal III and explore innovative and meaningful ways to put action to words and advocate for our members, profession, and the communities we serve. 

    If you know of an entity or individual advancing racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession, I invite you to submit a nomination. We would love to feature them in the Winter 2023 edition of The Innovator.

    The Innovator writers and contributors want to acknowledge our Chair, Michelle Behnke, as she concludes her term leading the Commission. We thank her for her vision, dedication, and diligence. 

    I hope you enjoy this edition. 

    Tamara P. Nash
    2023 Summer Edition Editor
    ABA YLD Chair-Elect
    Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, Commissioner