Black History Month: Equity, the Missing Piece

Alexus Williams
Associate, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
Secretary (2021-22), BAMSL Young Lawyers Division (YLD)

Originally published in the February 2022 issue of the St. Louis Lawyer magazine. Download PDF.

In 2022, we like to think that we have mastered the implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion. But much like the practice of law, there is no such thing as "mastering" the implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, just continuous practice to create improvement. The goal is to get better, not be perfect.

Diversity is the state of having people of different races or different cultures in a group or organization; the quality or state of having many different forms, types, or ideas. Equity is fairness or justice in the way people are treated. Inclusion is the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability); the state of being included.

When diversity and inclusion initiatives first became a hot topic in the workplace, equity was not a part of the conversation. However, mindfulness of equity is critical to the practice that continues to lead us to necessary improvements. Equity focuses on providing equal resources regardless of context; equity is not about treating something or someone equally. Equity is about leveling the playing field.

February is Black History Month. During this month, we spend time learning about the "firsts." Locally, in the legal profession, St. Louis is still experiencing a lot of firsts.

Recently, the first African American person ever appointed to be a judge in St. Louis County, Hon. Sandra Farragut-Hemphill, retired after 30 years on the bench. Judge Hemphill waited 23 years to be elevated from associate to circuit judge in 2014. In 2020, we lost the first Black person promoted to partner at a major law firm in the St. Louis area, Larry L. Deskins. Mr. Deskins joined Lewis Rice back in 1977. The City of St. Louis did not see its first minority Circuit Attorney until 2016, and St. Louis County did not elect a minority Prosecuting Attorney until 2018.

Based on the current 20 circuit judges in St. Louis County, the average time for elevation to the circuit bench is 2.5 years. Currently, St. Louis County has nine circuit judges appointed directly to the circuit bench. Only one of those nine judges is a person of color, Hon. David Vincent III.

According to a 2014 study spearheaded by the Women Donors Network, 14 states had never elected a minority prosecutor — Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming. While we should celebrate and honor our "firsts," this highlights why equity is imperative.

As we continue to navigate through the practice of prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion, let us relish in how far we have come and remain dedicated to how far we have to go.