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[TheWall] FGP Board Statement on Critical Dialogue at YLS
Dear W’all,
We, the Board members of the First Generation Professionals at Yale Law School,wholeheartedly support and affirm the message of our Board member Marina Edwards. Firstwe want to make clear that we condemn the racist email sent by Trent Colbert (YLS ‘23).We recognize the harmful impacts of the racist party invitation and hostile media coveragewithin our membership and the Black community at YLS. We write to emphasize theimportance of having community-centered, critical, and reflective dialogue, and the moralobligation to repair harm when it is done. As an ivory tower institution that has historically privileged white and wealthy individuals,YLS can often be a challenging and unwelcoming environment. As a membership of low-income/ low-wealth people and people of color, many of us have overcome immense socio-economic barriers to be here. Everyday, we are navigating spaces that were historically notmeant for us. There are a myriad of forces that make it difficult to feel supported andmeaningf ully included at this institution. Yet, across campus our membership constantlystrives to create more inclusive, welcoming, and accountable spaces at YLS -- in the visionof building a community that is safe, supportive, and generative for all of us. As individualsand collectives, we must all recognize our role in building a better YLS community. Thisrequires that we respect and engage with each other’s identities, differences, and livedexperiences. This requires us to learn from and be accountable for our mistakes.Participating in community-centered, critical, and reflective dialogue is an important step. It is inevitable that we will make mistakes. Not only as individuals that will wieldtremendous influence globally, but also as members of a community, we have the duty tomitigate harm from one another. It is important that we leverage our time at YLS to learnfrom our mistakes while we are still developing the practices that will shape how we
approach our clients, navigate courtrooms, and practice the law. As law students, we allwillingly dedicate the duration of our time at YLS to learn---our legal education is notlimited to the confines of black letter law. In building a better, more inclusive community, we must be accountable to one another. Wemust listen to one another, reflect, and acknowledge the impact that actions have within our community. FGP recognizes and supports the efforts of those who are intently workingtowards generating the dialogue necessary to address the recent ignorant and racist rhetoric.Too often, those of us from historically underrepresented backgrounds are burdened with thelabor of initiating difficult conversations and educating our peers. We appreciate Yaseen’seffort to educate Trent and repair harm within the YLS community as well as Dean Gerken’semail this morning. We hope that the administration takes this chance to incorporate voicesfrom structurally disadvantaged backgrounds when we think about ways to move forward. As Marina stated, we hope that dialogue can present an opportunity for reflection and positive growth as we move forward.
In solidarity,The First Generational Professionals Board 2021-2022
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