Oregon Minority Lawyers Association Statement
on Continued Diligence to Promote Diversity

Due to events in our legal community, the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association would like to reiterate the importance of assessing and reassessing our respective cultural norms, biases, and lack of awareness.
 
At an event in 2019, an attorney used a derogatory term to make a racially biased joke. Even if used in jest, the use of a derogatory term so inexorably tied to generations of racism, oppression, and hatred was insensitive, hurtful, and wholly inappropriate. Too many people have had such terms directed towards them during traumatic, hurtful, and sometimes violent experiences. To remind them of those experiences during a time of celebration displays a disregard for the pain of these lived experiences and the principles for which our organization was founded.

Privilege comes in many forms and shows up in many ways. It is a privilege to have never experienced being called the “n-word.” We all benefit when we use our privilege to disrupt biases rather than allow them to continue.

While people of different races and cultures have experienced it in different manifestations, all people have experienced unequal, unfair, and unjust treatment. We should use our experiences to strengthen our unity and improve the conditions for all people.

Though there are many shared interests and commonalities, each marginalized community faces a unique path with its own history. And, each of us, individually, have inherited values and social norms that played a role in shaping our individual view of the world and those around us. Just as we work to enlighten the dominant culture, we must remember to investigate and challenge our own values and beliefs.

As lawyers, we know that words have great power. We are privileged to be able to choose our words and use them to promote equality and justice. As OMLA members, we must remain vigilant in our mission to promote diversity in the legal profession.

Oregon Minority Lawyers Association Statement on the Death of George Floyd and the Surrounding Events of Protest in Minneapolis, Portland, and Around the United States.

The Oregon Minority Lawyers Association (OMLA) issues the following statement in response to the reported increase of incidents of violence directed at Americans of Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) descent throughout the country. The most recent attack occurred in the Atlanta, Georgia area Tuesday, March 16, 2021, where eight people were killed by gunfire at businesses with predominantly Asian American workforces. Six of the eight victims were Asian American women.

OMLA stands in solidarity with its siblings and friends of the Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association (OAPABA), the Oregon Filipino American Lawyers Association (OFALA), the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), the Georgia Asian Pacific American Bar Association (GAPABA) and other sister organizations to condemn the ongoing violence and hate directed at the AAPI community. OMLA is fully committed to providing the necessary resources to the victims and their families to ensure justice ultimately prevails and that our communities may heal and transcend this tragedy. For its part, OMLA's Board Members will be taking the Pledge to Stand Against Hate and will be donating $500 to an Oregon AAPI-based organization, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO).

We encourage our members to carefully read and reflect on OAPABA and OFALA's March 17, 2021, release "OAPABA and OFALA Condemn Anti-Asian Bias and Violent Attacks." We also urge the U.S. Department of Justice, the Oregon Department of Justice, and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that any crimes that violate state or federal hate crime statutes are appropriately investigated and prosecuted. Finally, we urge every Oregonian— regardless of race, ethnicity, or background—to do their part to combat racism and prejudice and help our state and the nation heal from this ongoing crisis.

​-- The OMLA Board

The killing of George Floyd—and countless others—by those whose mission is to protect with courage and serve with compassion is an unspeakable tragedy. By now, thousands across our state and millions across the country have watched in horror the graphic footage of Mr. Floyd being pinned down by a (former) Minneapolis police officer—all while Mr. Floyd repeatedly states, "I can't breathe." Unfortunately, police brutality and racial injustice is not a new development. For some of us, including judges, lawyers, legal professionals, and law students, racism and the fear of discrimination are ever-present in our lives.
 
It is telling that despite the danger of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the devastating impact it has had on our communities and economies, families and communities across the country are coming together to protest against systemic racial issues. Over the last few days, we have seen these issues manifest into sadness, fear, confusion, and, yes, even anger. For some of us, the death of Mr. Floyd was when we finally said no más; enough is enough.

As fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, we know what it is like when our loved ones leave the safety of our homes and we worry whether they will return. We worry about whether they are wearing appropriate clothing so that they are not "suspects" or "targets." We worry about whether we taught them enough about not "escalating" a situation out of fear that we may see them in the evening news. We also worry about whether we are teaching one another how to be active participants in our democracy and community builders, so that we can join hands and knock down the walls of injustice that will grant future generations greater access to economic, social, and political power.
 
The Oregon Minority Lawyers Association (OMLA) stands in solidarity with all communities— especially the Black community—that stand against police brutality, racial injustice, racism, and the deterioration of the Rule of Law. We have faith that peaceful protests will allow this great nation to realize a truth that is evident to many of us, that the justice and law enforcement system is failing communities of color—and all Americans. The federal government and state and local governments must examine laws and policies that despite reassurances repeatedly result in the taking of innocent lives during encounters with law enforcement. Until these policies, which are rooted in historical institutional racism and biases against communities of color, change, these tragedies and flagrant violations of civil rights will continue to hurt our communities.
 
To be clear, OMLA does not condone violence or looting and condemns the exploitation of peaceful protests by agitators—whether right wing or left wing— attempting to destabilize civil society and the Rule of Law.

We do, however, support Black and Brown lives. We fervently support peaceful protests and demands for justice for our communities. OMLA denounces governmental suppression of nonviolent protests as blatant violations of our First Amendment rights. We support listening and taking care of one another as we reach for the American dream. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said:
 
When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
 
Finally, OMLA calls on our leaders and elected officials at the local, state, and national levels to rise up, take a stand, and enact legislation that will address abuses of power and racial injustice and to take immediate, affirmative steps to protect freedom of expression and the press.
 
To demonstrate our commitment to the Floyd family and the fight against racial injustice and for criminal justice reform, OMLA will be donating to the following organizations:

The Bail Project: A nonprofit that aims to mitigate incarceration rates through bail reform - https://bailproject.org/   Campaign Zero: An organization that utilizes research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in the U.S.- https://www.joincampaignzero.org/

The Know Your Rights Camp: An organization founded by Colin Kaepernick that provides education and training in black and brown communities, set up a legal fund
for Minneapolis protestors - https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/  and
https://www.knowyourrightscamp.com/legal

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund: An organization that supports racial justice through advocacy, litigation, and education - https://www.naacpldf.org/about-us/  
We call on our members, our sponsors, our allies, Oregon law firms, Oregon State Bar members, Oregon businesses, Oregon public officials, and Oregon Governor Kate Brown to join us in supporting the Floyd family, communities impacted by police violence, and peaceful protesters by donating to these organizations.

* * *
For more information, contact: Chase Morinaka and Iván Resendiz Gutierrez, OMLA Co- Chairs, [email protected] and [email protected].
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* This statement reflects the position of the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association. It does not reflect the position of the Oregon State Bar or any other bar association. Board Members and Advisory Board Members affiliated with the judicial and executive branches of the federal, state, and local governments did not participate in the issuance of this statement.
 
About the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association
Founded in 1991, the Oregon Minority Lawyers Association (OMLA) is committed to making the Oregon legal community a welcoming environment where people of all colors, races, and ethnic backgrounds can excel academically, professionally, and personally. To learn more about OMLA, visit https://www.omlalawyers.com/, like on us Facebook, and follow us on Twitter (@ORminoritylaw).
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OMLA Stands with AAPI Communities, OAPABA, OFALA, and Allies Against Anti-Asian Hate and Violence