Our initiatives Our Actionable Allyship and Inclusive Leadership program continued in 2021 for all employees. The program was designed to educate our people on how to define and understand allyship, privilege and discrimination, and explore ways to continue making Dechert an inclusive community for all. Our partners continued their quarterly commitment to training and dialogue. They explored inclusive leadership in times of crises and engaged in training with Professor Jerry Kang, “Next Level of Diversity and Inclusion: Evidence-Based Approaches.” Diverse voices at Dechert Our Stand Against Racism Speaker Series continued in 2021, with prominent speakers addressing our community on important social topics. Guests included Tonya Parker, reportedly the first self-identifying gay African-American elected to any office in Texas, who joined us to discuss oppression and privilege, and Renee Montgomery, who shared her experiences as a WNBA basketballer and as a campaigner advocating for equality and social justice. Sandie Okoro, the first British national and first Black woman to serve as Vice President for Compliance at the World Bank, joined us on International Women’s Day for a conversation
During this year’s DEI Week we hosted a conversation with Dr. Makaziwe Mandela, the daughter of Nelson Mandela, who shared insights on her family’s work to bring greater unity to the world. We continued to recognize our Diversity Champions, with five being selected in 2021 for their contributions to the firm’s Affinity Groups, diversity initiatives within their teams and efforts to make the Dechert community as welcoming and open as possible. LGBTQ American man to compete for the United States at the Winter Olympics, for a fireside chat during which he shared his experiences of being an LGBTQ athlete, post-Olympic life, the impact of social media, and his activism. Following the publication of a UK government report, which concluded that there were no systemic racial or ethnic disparities in the country, and following racist abuse during the Euro 2020 football championship, we welcomed The Right Honourable David Lammy MP, who shared his views and experiences with us and highlighted various resources to continue to educate ourselves and our children.
Dr. Makaziwe Mandela
exploring leadership, inclusion, equity and mentorship, as well as the role that lawyers can play to address gender bias and inequity. During Pride Month, we were honored to welcome Adam Rippon, the first openly
New disability Affinity Group We were also proud to launch a new disability affinity group in recognition of persons of all abilities, whose primary mission is to build awareness around disability inclusion issues and to advocate for an inclusive and accessible workplace where all professionals feel valued.
Juneteenth is an important day of reflection and an opportunity for our people to recharge so we offered our U.S. employees the full day off.
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