Thank you to everyone who attended the fourth annual Equity Summit! The event was chaired by Ketan Kharod and Matt Garcia and hosted by the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, co-chaired by Elliott Beck and Leslie Dippel.
More than 100 people attended the Equity Summit, which was held at the Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus.
This year’s event featured a discussion, moderated by Kharod, between Austin Bar past president Rev. Joseph C. Parker, Jr. and Diana Anzaldua, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of the Austin Trauma Therapy Center, on the root causes and intergenerational trauma of racism.
There was also a fascinating panel discussion with Brenda Alejo (Jackson Lewis), Melissa Carr (DuBois, Bryant & Campbell), Garcia (Barnett Garcia), Diana Melendez (Travis County Attorney’s Office), and Armin Salek (Youth Justice Alliance) on the experiences and challenges facing first-generation attorneys.
During the break, Beck presented this year’s Rev. Joseph C. Parker, Jr., Diversity Award to Manuel Escobar (McGinnis Lochridge). Escobar’s longtime friend Rudy Metayer spoke at length about his contributions to diversity and inclusion efforts in Austin.
The afternoon continued with Judge Maya Guerra Gamble (459th Civil District Court) moderating a panel discussion on rent legislation affecting diversity and inclusion. The panel members were Amy Beckstead (Beckstead, Terry, Ditto), Susan Burton (Cornell Smith), and Emily Frost (Frost Domel).
The day ended with a practical session on allyship. Judge Denise Hernández (Travis County Court at Law #6), Dominique McLeggan-Brown (U.S. Economic Development Administration), Marianne Nitsch (Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody), and consultant Yasmin Turk discussed how DEI allies can put their words into action.
After the event’s conclusion, a reception was held at Hilgers House.
The committee would like to thank everyone who volunteered and participated, especially Mindy Gulati of Fundamental Advisory, who helped shape the vision for the afternoon.
Thank you also to this year’s Equity Summit sponsor, Judge Guerra Gamble, who has sponsored every Equity Summit since the event’s inception in 2021. Judge Guerra Gamble was the inaugural chair of the Equity Committee, which was established in 2020 during Kennon Wooten’s presidency.
The Austin Bar is fortunate to have among its ranks individuals like Gulati and Judge Guerra Gamble, who work alongside us as we strive for inclusivity in our profession.