UIC Law Celebrates Diversity Week 2024
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Building on the commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, UIC Law hosted a week of dynamic programming and events to celebrate the school’s diverse community of students, faculty, and staff. This year’s theme was “Authentic You” and explored how to tackle the issues of authenticity and identity in the workplace and how these themes intersect.
The week started off with an event titled “Professional Identity: How to Authentically Represent Yourself in the Workplace” hosted by UIC Law Writing Resource Center Director Danielle McCain and Juan Sebastion Camacho of PepsiCo. In their conversation with students, the hosts discussed the struggles of showing up as your true self in the workplace and how to address those issues in order to stay true to oneself.
Diversity week continued on Tuesday with a panel titled “Unintentional Harm: Allyship Versus Advocacy”. Moderated by Black Law Student Association President Leah Hall, the panelists included Professor Rennee Hatcher, Director of the Community Enterprise and Solidarity Clinic, Marchello Johnson, Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management, and Jae Rice of Brave Space Alliance. Panelists discussed the difference between being an ally versus an advocate, as well as best practices to effectively advocate for causes and stand in solidarity.
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Reallocation of personal privilege is necessary to push forward change and encourage collective liberation.
| Brave Space Alliance
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Wednesday’s event focused on gender roles in the workplace with “The Broken Rung: How Sexism Undermines” hosted by Kim Ricardo, Associate Dean of Experiential Education and Dr. Natalie Bennett of the UIC Women’s Leadership and Resource Center. Moderated by UIC Law student Jamie Flores, the conversation explored how gender roles impact professional settings and personal development, as well as addressing unconscious bias and the role of male allies. Dr. Bennett and Dean Ricardo also shared firsthand experiences of how they have dealt with sexism and scrutiny in the workplace and overcoming the spirit of competition when working with other women.
The week concluded on Thursday with “Meals Around the World” which featured a sampling of different cultural dishes from various countries around the globe such as India, Mexico, Italy and more.
UIC Law remains committed to celebrating our incredible community and providing “a seat at the table” for those that are historically underrepresented in the field of law.
