Oregon Trial Lawyers Association - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

It shall be the goal of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association to create a more diverse and inclusive organization within OTLA and the plaintiff's bar, raise awareness among OTLA members of issues related to social justice, diversity, and inclusion, and develop, recommend, and advance OTLA policy on issues with respect to the advancement of diversity and inclusion within the organization. OTLA strives to maintain a collective mixture of traits and attributes of the members of the organization and the Board characterized by differences and similarities in age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity, religion, national origin, socioeconomic status, practice area, or geographic location.

OTLA aspires to:

attract members from diverse backgrounds and circumstances as described above
attract members to serve in leadership roles within the organization from diverse backgrounds and circumstances
strengthen the relationship between OTLA and minority bar associations
engender diversity in OTLA’s speakers and authors
encourage a more diverse group of people to practice plaintiff’s law

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Task Force

GOALS:

Assisting OTLA in developing a longitudinal DEI strategy
Developing data standards for measuring longitudinal progress in OTLA’s DEI efforts
Identifying ways OTLA can further promote a climate and culture within OTLA that honors, respects, and promotes diversity
Identifying methods to increase the number of diverse members in OTLA through recruitment and retention
Assisting OTLA in developing and implementing inclusive leadership policies and practices
Encouraging OTLA members from minority communities to fully engage with OTLA
Sharing resources and guidance on best DEI practices for OTLA law firms and OTLA membership at large
Assisting the OTLA Board with concerns, questions, and/or policies related to DEI

A special thank you to all those OTLA members who have volunteered their time, perspectives, and voices to join the DEI Task Force:

Ashlee Albies

Gabe Chase

Kathryn Clarke

Christine Furrer

Hala Gores

Apolinar Montero-Sánchez

Shenoa Payne

Joel Shapiro

Nathan Sosa

Bill Spiry

Thanh Tran

Marlene Yesquen

21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge

OTLA's first 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge, created by the American Bar Association and conceptualized by Eddie Moore, Jr., was chaired by board member and Guardian Thanh Tran and facilitated by Guardians Gabe Chase and Kathryn Clarke, Christine Furrer and Guardians Hala Gores and Robert Johnson. 70 OTLA members and staff participated in the three-week challenge consisting of daily readings, podcasts, or videos and reflection questions on the intersection of race and law. Weekly Zoom meetings provided a conversation platform, and Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Melvin Oden-Orr joined one Zoom call to provide insight about the work he’s leading on implicit biases in juries and how best to identify and address these biases. If you missed the 21-day challenge, you can check out the syllabus here: www.oregontrial-lawyers.org/21daysyllabus

The second 21-Day Challenge, focusing on AAPI issues, was completed in November 2021. You can find the syllabus and materials here.

Read about the 21-Day Challenge and recent DEI Task Force work in the October-November Sidebar, or download the article here.

Official organization statements on protests, police misconduct, and more can be found HERE or under the Publications tab.

Glossary of Social Justice Terms

Presented by the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

March 2023

This glossary is designed to facilitate open and honest conversations about social justice, diversity and allyship. While it may not cover every term or definition related to these topics, it serves as a valuable starting point for building a shared language of understanding. As language and meanings continue to evolve, this tool can help pave the way for productive and insightful discussions.

active listening: a process of hearing and understanding what someone is saying by empathizing with the speaker(s) and considering their perspective(s)

adultism: prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions, such as treating someone as weak or unintelligent because they are not adults; usually those of older persons against younger persons

ageism: prejudiced thoughts and discriminatory actions, such as referring to someone’s age in a context in which age isn’t relevant, based on differences in age

agency: the ability to act independently and make free choices; the ability to make conscious decisions for oneself

agent: a member of a dominant or majority group

allyship: an active verb; leveraging personal positions of power and privilege to fight oppression by respecting, working with, and empowering marginalized voices and communities; using one’s own voice to project others’, less represented, voices

asexuality/ace: a sexual orientation label referencing asexuality. Sometimes called the “Ace Umbrella” to represent the wide spectrum of asexual identities and experiences. People on the asexual spectrum lack sexual attraction to others or experience low or absent interest in or desire for sexual activity.

assimilation: the process of adapting or adjusting to the culture or behaviors of a dominant or majority group or nation

Be Uncomfortable: the act of putting yourself outside of your comfort zone, and into situations in which you are not privileged where you otherwise would be *Does not include putting oneself in physical danger!*

bicultural: a person who functions effectively and appropriately and can select appropriate behaviors, values, and attitudes within either of two cultures; a person who identifies with two cultures

bisexual: a person emotionally, physically, and/or sexually attracted to males/men and females/women. This attraction does not have to be equally split between genders, and there may be a preference for one gender over others.

BIPOC: a term referring to “Black and/or Indigenous People of Color.” While “POC” or People of Color is often used as well, BIPOC explicitly leads with Black and Indigenous identities, which helps to counter anti-Black racism and invisibilization of Native communities

cisgender/"cis": a gender identity in which a person’s experiences of their gender matches the gender and sex they were assigned at birth

cisgenderism: a socially constructed assumption that everyone’s gender matches their biological sex, and that that is the norm from which all other gender identities deviate

classism: any attitude or institutional practice which subordinates people of a certain socioeconomic class due to income, occupation, education, and/or their economic status; a system that works to keep certain communities within a set socioeconomic class and prevents social and economic mobility

code-switching: the conscious or unconscious act of ‘switching’ between two languages, dialects, or intonations depending on the specific situation of who one is speaking to, what is being discussed, and the relationship and power and/or community dynamics between those involved. An example is when a BIPOC person speaks/acts differently to the dominant/white community than from how they act with their own BIPOC community.

colonialism: the exploitative historical, political, social, and economic system established when one group or force takes control over a colonized territory or group; the unequal relationship between colonizer and the colonized

cultural appropriation: the act of members of dominant/powerful/privileged groups claiming ownership of, or the rights to, less powerful/privileged groups' cultural and/or religious symbols, dress, and ceremonies. an example is when sports teams use Native American names, images or mascots.

cultural competence: the ability to effectively and empathetically work and engage with people of different cultural identities and backgrounds in order to provide safe and accountable spaces for dialogue and discourse; cultural competence is relevant in all fields of work, education, and informal social interactions

disability: being differently abled (physically, mentally, emotionally) from that which society has structured to be the norm in such a way so that the person is unable to move, or has difficulty moving—physically, socially, economically—through life

disenfranchised: being deprived of power and/or access to rights, opportunities, and services

diversity: a multiplicity of shared and different individual and group experiences, values, beliefs, and characteristics among people

Educate yourself: taking time to learn about issues from other communities for oneself without making people of those communities spend time teaching you. By learning about the histories and experiences of target groups, we can become better allies and advocates.

empathy: a learned skill that allows one to recognize and deeply listen to another’s story or experiences, and connect them to common understandings and emotions; differs from sympathy

equity: the situation in which all people or groups are given access to the correct number and types of resources for them so as to achieve equal results; differs from equality, which focuses on the equal distribution of resources rather than equal results

ethnocentrism: consciously or unconsciously privileging one’s own ethnic group over others; assuming or judging other groups according to one’s own group values

feminism: the pursuit of the social, economic, and political equality of all people, regardless of sex, gender, sexuality, race, geographical location, body size, socioeconomic status, physical and mental ability, and religion

gay: term used to refer to homosexual / same gender loving communities as a whole, or as an individual identity label for anyone who does not identify as heterosexual; 2) Term used in some cultural settings to specifically represent male identified people who are attracted to other male identified people in a romantic, erotic, and/or emotional sense.

gender: the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and characteristics that a given society categorizes as ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’; not defined by one’s biological sex

gender identity: a person’s individual and subjective sense of their own gender; gender identities exist in a spectrum, and are not just masculine and feminine

gentrification: demographic shifts that usually occur in big cities in which upper-middle class and/or racially privileged individuals and businesses move into historically working class and poor and/or racially oppressed neighborhoods and communities

Give grace: assuming best intentions from others and always approaching a situation with your own best intentions

hegemony: one group or community holding all authoritative power or dominance over other groups in a given society, geographical region, and/or political system

heteronormativity: a socially constructed assumption that heterosexuality is the natural norm from which all other sexual preferences deviate; the assumption that everyone identifies as heterosexual until shown or proven otherwise

homophobia: on a personal level, homophobia is an irrational fear, aversion, or dislike of homosexualities and people who identify as homosexual; on a social level, homophobia is the ingrained structural discrimination against homosexuality and those who identify homosexual that prevents access to certain resources or opportunities and inhibits individuals from feeling safe or able to be socially recognized as homosexual

horizontal hostility: the structural strategy to intentionally place two or more oppressed groups in competition with one another; a strategy that aims to divide and conquer

institutional oppression: the systematic mistreatment and dehumanization of any individual based solely on a social identity group with which they identify that is supported and enforced by society and its institutions; based on the belief that people of such a social identity group are inherently inferior

intersectionality: the intersection of race, class, gender, and ability identities within each individual that informs how one views, discusses, and navigates through the world the way each of us views and discusses the world

intersex: one who is born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia, and/or an internal reproductive system that is not considered “standard” or normative for either the male or female sex.

lesbian: a woman who is attracted to women. Term derives from Greek isle of Lesbos

where Sappho, who wrote poetry about love between women

LGBTTQQIA: the umbrella community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, two-spirited, queer, questioning, intersex, and/or asexual

marginalize: the systematic disempowerment of a person or community by denying access to necessary resources, enforcing prejudice through society’s institutions, and/or not allowing for that individual or community’s voice, history, and perspective to be heard

microaggression: the everyday, subtle, intentional — and oftentimes unintentional — interactions or behaviors that communicate some sort of bias toward historically marginalized groups. The difference between microaggressions and overt discrimination or macroaggressions, is that people who commit microaggressions might not even be aware of them. An example is when someone comments on how well an Asian American speaks English.

mobility: the ability to move through society, both physically and socioeconomically

Move Up, Move Up: a phrase used to encourage individuals to be attentive in conversation, and to move up their listening or move up their speaking when appropriate

multiethnic: a person who identifies as coming from two or more ethnic groups; a person whose biological parents come from different ethnic groups

multiracial: a person who identifies as coming from two or more racial groups; a person whose biological parents come from different racial groups

nativism: prejudiced thoughts or discriminatory actions that benefit or show preference to individuals born in a territory over those who have migrated into said territory

neurodivergent: Sometimes abbreviated as ND, means having a brain that functions in ways that diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.” A person whose neurocognitive functioning diverges from dominant societal norms in multiple ways – for instance, a person who is Autistic, has dyslexia, and has epilepsy – can be described as multiply neurodivergent. The terms neurodivergent and neurodivergence were coined by Kassiane Asasumasu, a multiply neurodivergent neurodiversity activist.

neurotypical: Often abbreviated as NT, means having a style of neurocognitive functioning that falls within the dominant societal standards of “normal.” Neurotypical can be used as either an adjective (“He’s neurotypical”) or a noun (“He’s a neurotypical”).

patriarchy: a social system and institution in which men have primary power in the political, social, economic, legal, and familial spheres; patriarchy favors male-dominated thought, and is centralized on the male narrative or perspective of how the world works and should work

People of Color: an umbrella term for any person or peoples that is considered by the society in which they live to be non-white

privilege: benefit, advantage, or favor granted to individuals and communities by unequal social structures and institutions

queer: an umbrella term within the LGBTQQIA community that refers to anyone who doesn’t prescribe to societal views of gender and sexuality; implies elasticity and a resistance to the notion of a predetermined gender and sexual identity based on biology

questioning: someone who is questioning their gender identity and/or sexuality

race: a term used to to identify and define individuals as part of a distinct group based on physical characteristics and some cultural and historical commonalities; once used to denote differentiations in humankind based on physiology and biology, race is now understood as a social construct that is not scientifically based, though is still commonly associated with notions of biological difference; race is still sometimes perceived as innate and inalterable

racism: an ideology and institution that reflects the racial worldview in which humans are divided into racial groups and in which races are arranged in a hierarchy where some races are considered innately superior to others; racism is the effect of domination of certain racial groups by other racial groups, historically the domination of people of color by white/European peoples

reclaim: to take back or demand the return of something that was lost or taken away; to restore to a previous state

safe space: spaces in which people, often of marginalized or underrepresented social groups, can say, be, and share their experiences without fear or judgment

silencing: the conscious or unconscious act of excluding or inhibiting certain groups’ voices, thus preventing their experiences, perspectives, and histories to be heard

slur: an insulting or derogatory comment, reference, or label

solidarity: unity or agreement based on shared interests and objectives; long-term mutual support within and between groups

stereotype: an attitude, belief, feeling, or assumption about a person or group of people that are widespread and socially sanctioned; though stereotypes can be positive and negative, they all have negative effects because they support institutionalized oppression by validating oversimplified beliefs that are often not based on facts

stereotype threat: the risk of internalizing and confirming others’ negative biases towards one’s social group

supremacy: the superiority of one group of people over other groups of people through a system of domination and subordination

transgender: an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms - including transgender. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation. Therefore, transgender people may identify as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc.

two-spirited: Native American term to describe person who embodies attributes of both masculine and feminine genders, have distinct gender and social roles in their tribes, and are often involved with rituals. Their dress is usually mixture of male and female articles and they are seen as a separate or third gender. The term two-spirit is sometimes considered specific to the Zuni tribe. Similar identity labels vary by tribe such as Wintke (Lakota), Hee-man-eh (Cheyenne), and Nedleeh (Navajo); 2) Native Americans who are queer or transgender.

unconscious bias: negative stereotypes regarding a person or group of people; these biases influence individuals’ thoughts and actions without their conscious knowledge. We all have unconscious biases.

UPstander: a person who chooses to take positive action in the face of injustice in society or in situations in which individuals need personal assistance; the opposite of a bystander

white guilt: the individual or collective guilt felt by some white people for the historical and current oppressions experienced by people of color; though white guilt has been described as being a detrimental consequence of racism, experiences associated with white guilt are not comparable to the experiences of systemic oppression faced by marginalized communities

white privilege: the right or advantage provided to people who are considered white; an exemption of social, political, and/or economic burdens placed on non-white people; benefitting from societal structuring that prioritizes white people and whiteness

whiteness: like race, whiteness is a social construct rather than an essential characteristic or biological fact; is used as cultural property, and can be seen to provide material and/or social privilege to those who are considered white, pass as white, or are given honorary white status

xenophobia: the unreasonable fear or dislike of things, cultures, forms of expression, or people that are different from oneself and one’s own experiences of the everyday; fear of that which seems foreign or strange

Citations

The majority of these terms are from the Lewis & Clark College “ABC’s of Social Justice: A Glossary of Working Language for Socially Conscious Conversation” linked below with other sources: