Diversity Display
Guide to Resources for Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
In celebration of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, the LRC is highlighting the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to legal history. Check out our Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month research guide for information about resources about this topic available online and in the LRC's collection.
Neurodiversity in Law School, Law Practice, and Legal Scholarship
Check out the LRC's resource guide for articles and books on neurodiversity and the law.
Women's History Month Resource Guide
Women's History Month presents an opportunity for the LRC to explore the significance of women in legal history. Check out our Women's History Month resource guide for a sampling of the great resources about this topic online and in the LRC's collection.
Black History Month Resource Guide
This February, the LRC celebrates Black History Month with a focus on the numerous contributions of Black Americans to the legal profession. Check out our Black History Month resource guide which features recommended readings from our collection on Black trailblazers in the law.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Resource Guide
In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the LRC has put together a guide to resources about the life and works of Dr. King and the legislative history behind the creation of the holiday in his honor.
Guide to AB-1084: Gender Neutral Retail in California
Signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 9, 2021, AB-1084 requires large retail department stores in California that sell childcare items or toys to maintain a gender neutral section, regardless of whether the toys or other items have been traditionally marketed to girls or boys. California is the first state to pass a law of this kind. As you get preparred for holiday shopping this year, check out the LRC's guide to information about this new law.
Photo by Yan Krukov, Pexels.com
Guide to Resources for Native American Heritage Month
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, the LRC is highlighting the contributions of Native Americans to legal history and to the history of USD. Check out our Native American Heritage Month 2021 research guide for information about resources on this topic available online and in the LRC's collection.
Guide to Resources on Media Representation
The disappearance of 22 year old white woman named Gabby Petito in September of 2021 received significant news coverage for weeks, prompting many to observe stark differences in how such stories are covered when they involve a person of color. Gwen Ifill famously coined the term “missing white woman syndrome” to describe the phenomenon of the media's extensive coverage of white, upper-middle-class women and girls who have gone missing.
The LRC has created a guide to online resources that discuss this phemonenon.
Photo of Thelma Butler from Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post.
Guide to Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the LRC is highlighting the contributions of Hispanic Americans to legal history. Check out our Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 research guide for information about resources about this topic available online and in the LRC's collection.Guide to Religious Diversity Resources
Check out the LRC's research guide for online, multimedia, and print resources on religious diversity and its role in American law and society.
Guide to the History of the ADA
To celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 on July 26, the LRC has created a guide to books and online resources about the history of one of the key laws protecting the rights of people with disabilities.
Guide to the Tulsa Race Massacre
In honor of the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, the LRC has assembled a guide to documentaries, books, and online resources about this important and underdiscussed event in American history.
Photo: CC BY Wesley Fryer
Guide to Resources about the Chauvin Trial and the Death of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black man, died while being arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd's death inspired months of protest against police brutality and racism and motivated ongoing discussions about racial justice and the role of race in American society. Derek Chauvin, one of the officers who participated in the arrest, has been charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter for Floyd's death. His trial began on March 8, 2021.
The LRC has created a guide to resources about the trial of Chauvin and it's context, including the public response to Floyd's death.
"George Floyd Mural" by joecaffreynyc is licensed under CC BY 2.0
State Bar "Report Card" on Diversity
Report Card on the Diversity of California’s Legal Profession
A recently released report by the State Bar of California shows that the profession does not reflect the diversity of California itself. About 95,000 members of the bar took a voluntary survey in 2019—the results reflect that nearly 70 percent of California’s licensed attorneys are white, although only 40 percent of the California population is white. The survey also found that Latinos make up only 7 percent of California’s licensed attorneys and that women attorneys, attorneys of color, LGBTQIA+ attorneys, and attorneys with disabilities all “report lower levels of satisfaction with workplace experiences.” The report card follows up these findings with a Call to Action with specific recommendations for increasing diversity.
Readings:
LGBTQ Pride Month
June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBTQ) Pride Month! This month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall riots of June 28, 1969, a tipping point in the U.S. movement for LGBT rights.
Cities around the world now celebrate with Pride parades, often held during the summer months. San Diego will celebrate Pride July 13th-15th, including the San Diego Pride Parade on July 14th in Hillcrest.
Join the LRC this summer in recognizing the importance of LGBT rights in legal history.
- Visit LGBTQ+ at USD for USD and Community Resources
- Get involved with USD Pride Law
Religious Diversity
“The American religious landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation. White Christians, once the dominant religious group in the U.S., now account for fewer than half of all adults living in the country. Today, fewer than half of all states are majority white Christian. As recently as 2007, 39 states had majority white Christian populations.” Public Religion Research Institute, America’s Changing Religious Identity (2017).
From 2007–2014, “the percentage of Americans who are religiously unaffiliated—describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular’—has jumped more than six points, from 16.1% to 22.8%. And the share of Americans who identify with non-Christian faiths also has inched up, rising 1.2 percentage points, from 4.7% in 2007 to 5.9% in 2014.” Pew Research Center, America’s Changing Religious Landscape (2015).
Diana Eck (Harvard Divinity School): On Common Ground: A New Look at America’s Religious Diversity
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Religious Diversity (Pluralism)
Invisible Disabilities
“Don’t judge a book by its cover” is a common phrase uttered by many to express the idea that one shouldn’t make decisions about a person based on their visible appearance. Invisible disabilities are disabilities that are not readily apparent such as anxiety disorders, depression, PTSD, and many others. Invisible disabilities affect people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities.
“But you don’t look sick” or “But you look good” are comments often made to those with invisible disabilities. Other reactions include sneers or dirty looks given to a person with an invisible disability who is exiting their vehicle after parking in a designated disability parking space. Consider the challenges those with invisible disabilities might face before making comments or passing judgment.
Readings:
- Invisible Disabilities Association
- The Last Taboo: Breaking Law Students with Mental Illnesses and Disabilities Out of the Stigma StraightJacket 79 UMKC L. Rev. 123 (2010)
- Enforcing the Americans with Disability Act for the “Invisibly Disabled”: Not a Handout, Just a Hand. 25 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 35 (2017)
- Invisible Disability 116 Ethics 153 (2005)
Videos:
The text "Not All Disabilities Are Visible" over a list of invisible disabilities
Words Matter
Our words can have a strong effect on others, regardless of our intentions. Microaggressions are
comments or nonverbal actions – subtle and often unintentional – that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages toward another person, usually a member of a marginalized group.
Consider how you speak to people and how your words may be received. We can learn a lot from each other if we think about what we say and ask questions.
Readings:
- About Microaggressions, Ronald Wheeler, Law Library Journal vol. 108:2 (2016-15)
- GLAAD Glossary of Terms – Transgender
- Why Pronouns Are Important, UC Davis
- People First Language, The Arc
- Words At Work, Diversity Council of Australia
- Anti-Racist Short Film “Jafar”, by Nancy Spetsioti
- How microaggressions are like mosquito bites, Same Difference
- "Billions" Actor Challenges Emmys' Gender Categories, United News International
- The Dos and Don'ts of Disability, Fixers UK
- If Microaggressions Happened to White People, MTV News
