Lawyer Magazine_Winter 2020

ACTUALIZING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION St. Thomas lawyers lead meaningful change at large law firms

By GLORIA MYRE ‘07 J.D.

THE DEATH OF GEORGE FLOYD AT THE HANDS OF POLICE IN MAY 2020 WAS A “LOUD WAKE UP CALL TO RECOGNIZE AND CONFRONT THE REALITIES OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLACK IN AMERICA, AND THAT WE MUST DO MORE TO ADDRESS RACIAL DISPARITIES,” SAID SUMMRA SHARIFF ’07 J.D. , EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT OF TWIN CITIES DIVERSITY IN PRACTICE.

Many among the Twin Cities legal community reacted with swift and certain condemnation of Minneapolis police following Floyd’s death, and then began reckoning with anti-Black racism and systemic injustices, particularly within the legal system. Two St. Thomas lawyers, Sherry Roberg-Perez ’05 J.D. and Beth Forsythe ’06 J.D. , serve as leaders in large Minneapolis law firms and see a deeper sense of commitment to lasting change within the legal field in terms of diversity, inclusion and racial justice.

BUILDING ON A FOUNDATION OF INCLUSIVENESS

“It is no longer business as usual in the legal field. Everyone must share the responsibility to address systemic racism in the legal system and anywhere it exists,” Shariff continued. “White law students and lawyers must be active

Sherry Roberg-Perez ’05 J.D. is a partner at Robins Kaplan LLP and a Diversity Committee co-chair. Robins has 250 lawyers in eight offices nationwide. It was founded 80 years ago by two Jewish lawyers facing anti-Semitism at other local law firms and has always had inclusiveness at the

and deliberate partners in this work alongside Black, Indigenous and other people of color. We must understand the true cost and roots of systemic racism. Racial inequalities exist; that is no longer a point of theoretical debate. As legal professionals, we are trained to problem solve. It’s our duty to address the immense inequities.”

heart of its mission. That historical commitment laid groundwork for the firm to “embrace much-needed conversation following the 2020 murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade about anti-Black racism, racial justice, and the

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