SOCIAL BLINDNESS

 As we read the comments come in for Sally Weintraub, we acknowledged we had no real understanding of the issues women lawyers of her (and our generation) faced in and out of the courtroom. For that matter, while we supported civil rights and stood up against racism wherever we encountered it, including our first job as a teenager that resulted in fisticuffs and ostracism, we do not really understand any issues lawyers of color faced in our profession. 

What to do? 

There really isn't anything WE can do. We cannot understand the issues a female lawyer or an African-American lawyer faced or face unless we walk a mile in their moccasins, which we cannot do. We loved the book Black Like Me- the true story of journalist John Howard Griffin who underwent treatments to turn his skin black and then traveled throughout the deep south in 1960. It was one of many books that shaped our views on race when we were growing up. But that is not an option for us. 

The best we can do is solicit our readers to contribute. Send us an email and ask to be a guest blogger. Write about the experiences you had as a female or black lawyer or a black female lawyer, or a lawyer of any minority. Let's have a discussion on where we have been and where we are and where we are going. 

True,  we remain the outlet for snarky information, like the email we received Tuesday morning that Miami AUSAs are having "wet cement" rain down upon them as they scurry into the King Building because of all the nearby construction. But that is what is called Karma and easily handled. 

Less easy is the discussion about a female lawyer being demeaned by the use of less than professional terms. Or the instance in the not too distant past of Sally Weintraub being kicked out of court for trying to defend to young people because she was a female. Or maybe it is unequal pay. 

What we do know is that it is 2020 and we personally do not fully comprehend the struggles of our colleagues. It is a discussion worth having.