In the 1980s, corporate America began to recognize the demographics of the American population was forever changing. If any company wanted to maintain and/or increase their market share of their products, whether it be car sales, hamburger sales, beer sales, or financial services, corporate America would have to adapt their marketing to various ethnic groups, traditionally African-Americans and/or Hispanics.
During this same time, colleges and universities across the country also recognized the changing demographics of society and began a movement to create environments for their student population to reflect these same demographics. In addition to increased enrollment from traditional ethnic groups, the enrollment of female students was increasing to the point where today, at some colleges and universities, there are more female students than male students. Upon graduation, some of these future professionals further continued their education by obtaining post graduate degrees in medicine, law, engineering, business and other fields and began their respective professions.
This begs the question, “What is Diversity?” and “What does this have to do with the Jacksonville Bar Association?”
The Florida Bar is governed by the Board of Governors, “the Big Board.” The “Big Board” has traditionally been made up of middle-aged white men, but these gentlemen also recognized the changing demographics of its members in The Florida Bar, especially, its new young members. In 1996, a young Jacksonville attorney, Lep Adams III, was elected president of the Young Lawyers Section of The Florida Bar and as result of this election, I was invited to run and elected to serve on the Young Lawyers Board when Lep became president.
I distinctly recall attending my very first meeting of the Board of Governors of the Young Lawyers Section when Ed Blumberg, of Boca Raton, and Jacksonville’s Howard Coker, then president and president-elect of The Florida Bar addressed the Young Lawyers Board. They told us that when they looked across the room of our Young Lawyers Board of Directors, they saw the demographics reflective of the people of Florida. They saw Anglo attorneys, African-American attorneys, Hispanic-American attorneys, Asian-American attorneys, almost an equal number of female attorneys, and these young female attorneys were leading some of the most powerful committees, being groomed to lead as future presidents. They wanted the “Big Board” to be as diversified as the Young Lawyers Board.
As presidents of the Florida Bar they would promote “diversity,” by encouraging ethically diverse Bar members to serve the Bar and represent a difference of ideas, perspectives and backgrounds to help all attorneys to become better able to serve our diverse clients and better represent our legal profession.
Diversity at The Florida Bar was taken to the next level with the administrations of Presidents Herman Russomanno and Edith Osman with the creation of the Center for Professionalism, which promulgated the creation of the Diversity Committee which brought about an increased awareness and sensitivity of “diversity” within The Florida Bar at the statewide level.
I had the honor of serving with Henry “Lat” Latimer on several Professionalism and Diversity Committees from 2000-04. Lat was from Jacksonville, growing up during the time of segregation, and was one of the first African-Americans to graduate from the University of Miami Law School and became the first African-American Circuit Court Judge in Broward County.
Lat was truly a pioneer and leader of the diversity philosophy within the legal system, but he never played nor would he ever allow or permit anyone to use the “race card,” for any personal gain. Lat firmly believed that one must first and foremost be a good attorney, who just happens to be different, whether it be race, ethnicity or gender. Lat believed that “diversity” should be a celebration of our differences, grounded in our common oath of being attorneys of The Florida Bar. But for his untimely death in January 2005, Lat would have been the first African-American president of the Florida Bar.
In June 2006, Jacksonville’s Hank Coxe was elected president of The Florida Bar and the Center for Professionalism was renamed in honor and in memory of Henry “Lat” Latimer. In June 2007, Miami’s Frank Angones became the first Cuban-American Florida Bar president. Under Frank’s leadership and in memory of his good friend, Lat, The Florida Bar further supported and created “diversity” programs and initiatives. However, unlike the past where these programs came from the ivory tower down to the masses, Frank encouraged diversity programs from the local bar association level, and he encouraged diversity programs at local Bar levels that were not traditionally known as being diverse. Frank encouraged the creation of “synergy” amongst various local bar associations to bring about a greater awareness and sensitivity of diversity at the community level.
In the summer of 2008, I ran into JBA President Joe Camerlengo, while having lunch with several visiting judges from Argentina so they could become familiar with our legal system. As a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Northeast Florida, we are frequently called upon to volunteer as liaisons between our legal community and visiting attorneys and judges from abroad. I shared with Joe the history of diversity in Jacksonville, from Lep to Howard to Lat to Hank to Frank, and Joe asked if I could serve as chair of the Jacksonville Bar’s Diversity Committee.
Not surprisingly, Jacksonville has always been on the forefront of diversity in the past and will continue to do so into the future.
This Diversity Committee will be made up of current and past leaders and members of the various bar organizations such as the Perkins Bar, Asian Bar, Hispanic Bar, JWLA along with several past presidents of the JBA and Florida Bar. During Martin Luther King Week in February 2009, our Diversity Committee — in conjunction with all the various individual Bar organizations, the JBA and The Florida Bar — will sponsor and hold a diversity symposium at Florida Coastal Law School to promote a “celebration of our differences, grounded in our common oath of being attorneys of the Florida Bar.” We look forward to you joining us to embrace and promote “diversity” to better serve our clients and better represent our legal profession.