ABA Diversity Center

Don’t miss the ABA Pipeline Council’s webinar happening today at 2:00 p.m. ET

🔗 Register here: bit.ly/Jan14fireside

“When Ending DEI Means Fewer Men: The Unintended Consequences of Blind Admissions.”
This program will examine emerging research on gender-blind admissions practices and their broader implications for equity, higher education, and the legal profession.

The discussion will feature Jon Marcus, higher education journalist, and will be moderated by Orla Thompson, Special Advisor, Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline and Member, Cozen O’Connor.

The Spirit of Excellence! Award celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. Awards are presented to lawyers who excel in their professional settings; who personify excellence on the national and international level; and who have demonstrated a commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession. The deadline to receive applications is June 27, 2025.  If you have any questions, please contact the commission at [email protected]. Read more about the nomination process here: https://bit.ly/soenomination2026

Today for we recognize Hon. Thurgood Marshall, civil rights lawyer and Associate Justice for the U.S. Supreme Court from 1967-1991. He was the first African American U.S. Supreme Court Justice, appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson. Before his appointment, he lead the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and was a prominent figure in the fight to end racial segregation in public schools.
More info: ambar.org/diversity

Today for we recognize Christina Swarns, attorney and Executive Director of the Innocence Project. Prior to her position at the Innocence Project, Swarns served at the Office of the Appellate Defender and at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She is most well-known for arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in Buck v. Davis, challenging the explicitly racially biased evidence in a Texas death penalty case.
More info: ambar.org/diversity

Today for we recognize the African American Policy Forum (AAPF). They promote frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society. The AAPF is dedicated to advancing and expanding racial justice, gender equality, and the indivisibility of all human rights, both in the U.S. and internationally.
More info: aapf.org