Veta T. Richardson Photo by John Abbott Photography
Feminism.
The word itself stirs a range of reactions—positive and negative, intellectual and visceral.
I recently had the pleasure to attend a live interview of Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg conducted by media pundit Bill Press. The two reflected on recent surveys indicating that many of today’s young women disavow feminism and are inclined to view it as antithetical to their values. Asked whether she considered herself a feminist, Ginsburg’s response was an unqualified “Yes!”
Justice Ginsburg reminded us that whether you reference Merriam-Webster, American Heritage, Random House, or dictionary.com, feminism simply means a belief in the political, economic, and social equality of women and men. Why wouldn’t all of us, particularly young women, consider ourselves feminists?
This issue of Diversity & the Bar celebrates the women lawyers who are helping to close the professional gender gap. Through a remarkable combination of intelligence, business savvy, and hard work, they have earned the coveted position of chief legal officer at the nation’s top companies. Annually, MCCA examines Fortune magazine’s list of the 1,000 largest corporations to report on how women lawyers are advancing, and this year’s report is one you won’t want to miss.
But the MCCA staff and I will miss our colleague and fellow feminist, Rob Truhn, as he resigns to pursue other interests. Since 2007, Rob has served as managing editor of Diversity & the Bar, and he has contributed greatly to the overall professionalism and growth of this publication. We wish Rob every continued success as he embarks on this next chapter of his career. DB
With appreciation,
Veta T. Richardson
Executive Director
Minority Corporate Counsel Association
From the July/August 2010 issue of Diversity & The Bar®