{"id":1281,"date":"2019-09-30T02:28:03","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T02:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hlsorgs3stg.wpenginepowered.com\/wla\/?p=1281"},"modified":"2019-09-30T14:52:33","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T14:52:33","slug":"2019-20-inclusion-efforts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orgs.law.harvard.edu\/wla\/2019-20-inclusion-efforts\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome from the WLA President: Our Vision for Inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"

New School Year, New Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Nicole<\/p>\n

My name is Nicole Williamson and I am the President of the Harvard Women\u2019s Law Association for 2019-20. I am extremely excited for this school year and the opportunity to work with so many of you as we support women at HLS and advocate for gender equality. I would like to extend my warmest welcome and share with you a bit about my vision for this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why I Ran<\/b><\/h5>\n

My very first WLA general body meeting during my 1L year gave rise to the greatest sense of isolation I have ever felt at HLS. While I was overjoyed to be joining a community of like-minded women dedicated to gender equality, I very quickly learned that beyond gender, I didn\u2019t share a lot in common with the other women. Sitting in the meeting, a quick glance around the room revealed that few of the women looked like me \u2014 I realized that I was one of only a handful of women of color.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite not feeling entirely like I fit in, during my 2L year I led the WLA\u2019s Queer Women\u2019s Coalition (QWC), a WLA initiative meant to support and build community for its queer members. This experience proved incredibly rewarding, and I learned how much community-building efforts can contribute to meaningful support and relationships within the organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

I ran for WLA President at the end of my 2L year because I wholeheartedly believed that with a firm commitment to diversity from leadership, a listening ear, and a lot of hard work, the WLA could be a much more inclusive community, providing resources and support to a diverse set of women and womanist issues. Looking ahead towards this year, I hope we can accomplish these goals, and I plan to put in the work to make that vision a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our Inclusion Efforts<\/b><\/h5>\n

First Annual Women of Color Retreat<\/strong>:<\/strong> This year WLA is hosting its first ever women of color retreat. This event is meant to help women of color meet and connect, and provide social\/bonding time off-campus.<\/span><\/p>\n

Membership Engagement Committee<\/strong>:<\/strong> This year WLA started the Membership Engagement committee to keep track of its own events in order to make them more inclusive. The committee recommends diverse speakers to committee chairs and helps ensure our events reach a wider audience. It will also run anonymous surveys and listening sessions to ensure we\u2019re keeping track of our efforts this year and are hearing members\u2019 concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women of Color Coalition<\/strong>:<\/strong> Our WoCC is in its third year. Last year we had 86 women of color participate. We\u2019d like to grow this support network by recruiting new members and hosting much more programming. This includes outings, dinners, relaxed get togethers in our on-campus WLA Lounge, and a new community event held at the house of a woman of color HLS professor.<\/span><\/p>\n

Queer Women\u2019s Coalition<\/strong>:<\/strong> Last year as chair of the QWC I was proud to see the coalition grow to three times its prior size. We hope to continue to support queer WLA women through social events such as museum outings, brunches, and game nights.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outreach & Venture<\/strong>:<\/strong> We plan to continue the Outreach Committee\u2019s efforts to connect with other student orgs so we can highlight and help contribute to their programming efforts. WLA also gives thousands of dollars directly to other student orgs to help them put on intersectional programming related to gender equality. We hope to increase our financial contributions to other affinity groups this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Women of Color Student Leaders Panel<\/strong>:<\/strong> This year the WLA is hosting the Ms. JD conference which brings together women law student leaders across the country. We plan to put on a program focused on \u201cleading as a woman of color,\u201d a POC-specific leadership program available to HLS students and Ms. JD\u2019s nationwide invitees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Diversity in WLA Leadership<\/strong>:<\/strong> This year three of the top five leadership positions in the WLA are held by women of color; I also appointed women of color to three of our six director-level positions (overseeing all our programming). WOC make up 37% of the entire board, an increase of almost ten percent from last year. We hope to increase that number in years to come by demonstrating our commitment to diversity throughout the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Advocacy<\/strong>:<\/strong> WLA will continue to push the administration to launch a Diversity & Inclusion Office, in conjunction with our fellow students orgs and the Affinity Group Coalition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dialogue and Support:<\/strong> WLA seeks to support students during difficult moments in national discourse\/politics as well as through issues that arise at HLS that may disproportionately affect WOC, queer women, women with disabilities, first generation women, and more. We hope to provide a supportive community and space to engage in discussion. We also seek to generally promote healing, support, and self-care.<\/p>\n

Anonymous Survey Link<\/strong>:<\/strong> The <\/span>survey link<\/span><\/a> provides members an opportunity to share feedback with the WLA at any time.<\/span><\/p>\n

My Commitment to New Members<\/b><\/h5>\n

To new members hesitant about joining the WLA: I promise you that the burden of making this organization a better community will not fall on your shoulders. Our job as the WLA Board is to provide opportunities, support systems, and events that speak to your identity, and to include your voice. This is <\/span>our<\/span> job as leaders, and it is our responsibility to bring these new goals to light \u2014 not to place the burden on the new women we\u2019re hoping to include. I\u2019m passionate about doing this work, and very much look forward to planning events for our community. It\u2019s my hope that as we improve our programming, you’ll consider giving it a try. We know that we need to change, and we will \u2014 and I hope the new WLA will be one that you feel comfortable joining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Questions?<\/b><\/h5>\n

Stop by our Affinity Group Mixer and Q&A\u00a0 on 10\/1 between 7:45pm to 9:00pm. Please also email me directly \u2014 I\u2019d love to chat about your questions, concerns, or ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

I truly hope every member of the WLA feels welcome and included, and that this year the WLA can continue its mission of pursuing gender equality through dynamic, intersectional, and thoughtfully planned programming responsive to our entire community\u2019s needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/span><\/p>\n

Nicole Williamson, <\/strong>WLA President<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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