Welcome to our Diversity Resources & Initiatives page. We developed this page to serve as a resource to members who wish to learn more about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community and in our country.
MBA Diversity Statement
The Montgomery Bar Association ("MBA") is committed to increasing its diversity and inclusion efforts to better reflect the demographics of Montgomery County; developing opportunities for community involvement and improved access to justice; and ensuring that leadership roles within the profession and the Montgomery Bar Association are accessible to all attorneys, especially those historically under-represented in the legal profession.
The MBA recognizes that achieving actualized, meaningful diversity is an evolutionary process that requires a continued commitment to these efforts. The MBA disavows discrimination and strives to remain thoughtful of diversity representation among MBA leadership on a continuous and revolving basis.
Robert E. Slota, Jr. Diversity Internship & Development Program
About the Program
The Montgomery Bar Association remains committed to connecting with under-represented law and pre-law students and providing them with opportunities and resources to support their goals.
We are pleased to offer our Hybrid (online and in-person) Diversity Internship & Development Program and invite all students who meet the criteria (see below) to apply for this exciting and innovative program. Apply HERE!
Participants will:
- Be considered for multiple internship opportunities;
- Meet with and learn from Montgomery County lawyers, judges, and leaders in the legal profession;
- Meet and form connections with fellow diverse students from many different law schools;
- Improve skills in writing, interviewing, and networking;
- Receive mentorship and instruction from MBA leaders;
- Have the opportunity to apply for tuition scholarships; and
- Much more! Click Here to view the 2024 Program Schedule.
This two-tier program offers approximately 10-12 paid internship opportunities, several unpaid internship opportunities, an in-person orientation, mentorship, and an 8-week hybrid (online and in-person) workshop and networking program. Students are not required to be a part of the internship program in order to participate in the weekly workshops, but students who receive an internship from an MBA host firm must also participate in these weekly sessions.
If you have questions about the Robert E. Slota, Jr. Diversity Internship & Development Program, please contact Nancy Walsh at at 215-896-6970 or nancy@tbdnowllc.com.
The Honorable Horace A. Davenport Award
In 2017, Leadership Academy participants reviewed the MBA’s efforts and progress towards the development of a more diverse and inclusive association, and provided a list of recommendations to help build on these efforts. These recommendations included the creation of the Hon. Horace A. Davenport Award, in honor of the first African-American judge to sit on the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, who passed away in 2017.
The Honorable Horace A. Davenport Award is given annually to an individual, organization, or MBA Committee who has not only supported the principles espoused in the MBA's Diversity Statement, but advanced them through an extraordinary singular effort, a sustained and impactful commitment, and/or a significant and effective contribution.
Award Recipients
2022 - Rebecca Sallen, Esq.
2021 - Lauren A. Hughes, Esq.
2020 - Jimmy C. Chong, Esq.
2019 - Marilou Watson, Esq.
RESOURCES
Books
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide for Achieving Equity in Schools
Facilitator's Guide to Courageous Conversations About Race
More Courageous Conversations About Race
Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Videos
Uncomfortable Conversations With a Black Man (Series)
Dismantling Colorblind Racism in 2020
Seminars
Series: A Legal History of Slavery and Discrimination (presented by Gibbel Kraybill & Hess, LLP)
Articles
Want to Reform the Criminal Justice System? Focus on Prosecutors
Bill Nye Breaks Down the Science Behind Skin Color, Points Out 'We're All One Species'
Confronting Racism: A Letter to My White Friends
'White Fragility' and the Limits of Anti-Racism Books
Black Judge Has to Explain to His White Colleague Why Racial Profiling is Bad
Trump's Dangerous Judicial Legacy
Washington State Now Has the Most Diverse Supreme Court in History
150 Members of Congress Demand Justice Department Action Against Anti-Asian, COVID-19 Racism
Law Professor Shuts Down 'All Lives Matter' With an Epic Response to Her Racist Students
Report: Pennsylvania's State Economy Has Some of the Most Racial Inequality in the Country
Why More White People Care About Racial Injustice Right Now
We Must Face Reality: Slave Plantations of the South are a Foundation of Our Policing
Juan Williams Leaves Fox News Co-Hosts Speechless With Powerful Black Lives Matter Defense
What Good Does It Do to Just Fire Someone for Racist Comments
Black in America: Listeners Share Their Experiences
Systemic Racism Explained: What it Means & How to Fight It
What White Privilege Looks Like Today - And How to Use Yours to Become an Ally
14 People Who Previously Held Racist Beliefs Share What Made Them Change Their Minds
MBA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
If you are interested in fostering diversity in the MBA and throughout the legal community, consider joining the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, a key component of the MBA’s commitment to recruit, engage, and retain a diverse membership. The committee, which consists of several sub-committees responsible for specific diversity initiatives, meets regularly to discuss, implement, improve and track MBA and community-based programs designed to foster and enhance diversity. Register through the "My Account" page or contact Nancy Walsh (nancy@tbdnowllc.com) for more details.