Page 21 - Delaware Lawyer - Summer 2022

months, culminating in my selection for the nascent role. Given my prior DEI experience in workplace settings, and being an alumnus of Delaware Law and member of the Delaware bar, I believed that I could bring a lot of insight, en- ergy and experience to the role while building upon the rapport I had with faculty and administrators from my time as a law student, and leverage my professional relationships and networks within the legal community, to aid me in continuing the development of the burgeoning DEI endeavors at Delaware Law and within the broader community. In short, I believed that this opportunity fit nicely with my skills, interests and experience, positioning me for this season of change, so I pursued it.
In considering and preparing for the
DEI Dean role, among other things, I reviewed DEI-relevant leadership prin- ciples, including varying models on di- mensions of leadership,5 teambuilding, and problem-solving methods that fol- lowed a human systems approach6 — an approach that I learned and found highly valuable in other team-based projects and workplace settings. I also referenced the iterative framework pro- mulgated in the Law Deans Antiracist Clearinghouse Project,7 initially created by five Black women law school deans during the coronavirus pandemic and in the wake of the infamous and tragic murder of George Floyd. The project sought to create a space for the collec- tive voices of law school leaders “to en- gage our institutions in the fight for jus- tice and equality, [as] we strive to focus our teaching, scholarship, service, activ- ism, programming, and initiatives on strategies to eradicate racism.”8 I found the framework insightful and instruc- tive in providing me, as DEI Dean, and Delaware Law, with a practical approach to engaging antiracism through (i) lis- tening, (ii) learning from other’s expe- riences, (iii) leading by example, (iv) auditing progress toward racial equality, among other things, and (v) iterating Delaware Law’s commitment to fight- ing for racial equality and eradicating racism locally and within our broader society.9
Listening and Fostering Awareness
I officially started the DEI Dean po- sition in July 2021. As an initial step, I began a “listening tour” and reached out to key stakeholders — administra- tors, faculty, staff, students and alumni — to learn more about their experienc- es, areas of responsibility, participation or interest in DEI, along with any con- cerns or questions they may have about DEI, my background and initial plans for the upcoming academic year. This listening tour ranged from meeting
with Widener University’s President, Dr. Julie Wollman, to meeting with the incoming Student Bar Association (SBA) board, individual students and leaders of the soon-to be formed Black Alumni Network. The initial listening approach strongly resonated with me as it connected with a human systems stra- tegic thinking approach of gathering “sound and current data” about real or perceived issues and understanding how others may want to participate and con- tribute to systemic change.
While engaging in this listening phase, I also met with DEI practitio- ners, read books and articles, listened to podcasts and attended webinars10 on various DEI-related subjects in an at- tempt to build upon my knowledge and experience. One of the many books that I found to be practical, instructive and insightful — and recommend — is Di- versity Beyond Lip Service: A Coaching Guide for Challenging Bias by La’Wana Harris.11 This book presents an action- oriented inclusion coaching model us- ing the following “C.O.M.M.I.T.” framework: C — commit to courageous action; O — open your eyes and ears; M — move beyond lip service; M — make room for controversy and con- flict; I — invite new perspectives; and T — tell the truth even when it hurts.12 As a lifelong learner, this learning phase continues for me as DEI generally im- pacts (or has the potential to impact) all aspects of my professional and personal life, particularly as a Black Indigenous Person of Color (BIPOC). Even so, after a month into the DEI Dean role, and in applying insights received during the initial listening and learning phases, I began to develop plans and program- ming for the academic year that was ap- proaching quickly.
One of the first tasks was to de- velop a DEI overview to be presented during 1L Orientation. I partnered with Micki Davis, Widener Univer- sity’s Chief Diversity Officer, to create
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