Mobilizing for Equality: 2021 Inaugural Report
February 28, 2022The murder of George Floyd in May 2020 ignited a long-overdue global movement for racial justice, with communities across the United States and around the world unifying to demand change.
In the immediate aftermath of the killing, Grace Speights and I received hundreds of messages from every part of our community—including from our clients and alumni—with offers of support, help, and encouragement. We were moved by the stories we heard and by the passion of individuals across the globe to do something and to make a difference, and we were determined to bring our voices and power to bear to work for racial justice.
On June 10, 2020, Morgan Lewis launched Mobilizing for Equality to reflect our commitment as a law firm to more directly, effectively, and aggressively pursue racial justice in a sustained manner. We asked our 14 working groups to move us forward by curating substantive racial justice projects, including developing an internal platform for discussions on racism, power, and privilege; supporting minority-owned businesses and community economic development; litigating high-impact, racial justice matters; collaborating with law enforcement on safe policing practices; providing free services to the racially disadvantaged; and working to secure voting rights.
Our law firm took this mandate to heart. Notwithstanding the challenges of the last two years, we have come together to, among other things, create internal learning opportunities and family-focused events, host speakers on multiple topics, litigate key voting-rights cases, provide educational and networking forums for entrepreneurs of color, and engage with our clients and alumni. We are extremely proud of the advances these groups have already made and look forward to additional work to come.
At Morgan Lewis, we know our response to racial injustice must be thoughtful, respectful, and, above all, long-lasting and impactful. We know there is much work to do, and we intend these efforts to be sustained. We will continue to pursue progress at our firm and in our communities, striving always to convert
aspiration into action. We invite you to join us as we work toward a better future.
Jami McKeon
Chair of the Firm
