First Black Woman Elected President of Harvard Law Review

Forty-one years after the first woman and 27 years after Barack Obama, the first African American woman has been elected president of the Harvard Law Review. In our current political climate, this is truly something to celebrate. And it sends a powerful message at a time when the rights of African Americans are being systematically challenged, particularly in the criminal justice system. So what took so long? In the words of ImeIme Umana, the new HLR president, African American women in particular have been “systematically excluded from the legal landscape, the legal conversation.” How do we change this? The example of Ms. Umana should speak very loudly for diversity and inclusion in the legal arena. And it will be interesting to see how her voice informs the perspective of the Harvard Law Review in terms of the scholarship and legal issues they choose to highlight this year. The importance of including these diverse perspectives in the practice of law, and in other professional contexts, cannot be overstated. Firms with an eye to future growth and relevance would do well to begin integrating these perspectives into their own cultures and approaches to business and practices. At T. H. Easter Consulting, we’re ready to help you get there. Reach out today to begin the discussion.