Creating Anti-Racist Spaces Across our Clinics and Institutions

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Session Type: Workshop Programs

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The clinical and externship communities are currently engaged in deep reflection about the ways that our institutions create and perpetuate inequality, and how we can do (and be) better. Embodying the values of equity and inclusion in our clinics – and larger institutions – requires all of us to think hard about how oppressive systems (such as white supremacy culture, patriarchy/sexism, ableism, and others) arise and grow.

This discussion draws on the expertise of clinical and administrative professionals to look beyond the confines of an individual syllabus or clinic and examine the ways that institution-wide reform can create deep and lasting change. Dr. Bridgett Ortega of John Marshall Law School will use her experience in externships, career services, and pro bono to show how these departments can be leaders for their schools in anti-racist initiatives. She will discuss best practices for “doing the work” within our programs, including training, making use of resources within our university, and collaborating with colleagues. Chipo Nyambuya, who directs experiential programming and professional development at Loyola University Chicago, will discuss the link between professional identity, ethics, and anti-racism, and how to integrate anti-racism at all levels of an experiential curriculum. Finally, Anne Gordon of Duke Law School will draw from a work in progress on creating anti-racist law schools to present a framework for evaluating our own clinic spaces through the lenses of anti-racism and equity more broadly.

Attendees will have the chance to share their own experiences, discuss best practices, and leave with ideas and practical tools for how to evaluate and change their institutions to be anti-racist spaces from the clinic level up.