By Paul C. Ray
“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” This is my favorite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote besides Reverend King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. We celebrate inspirational words and accomplishments of many African Americans during Black History Month in February. What are your favorite accomplishments by African American leaders?
Bryan K. Scott is an excellent example of a modern-day local leader. Bryan was the first African American President of the Clark County Bar Association, the first African American President of the State Bar of Nevada, and the first African American Las Vegas City Attorney.
Annette Bradley did a great job as the first African American woman and inaugural CCBA Diversity and Inclusion Committee for Equity (DICE) Chairperson in 2020. Annette welcomed everyone to make DICE itself inclusive. At its inception, DICE immediately became one of CCBA’s best-attended committee meetings.
Leaders of the State Bar of Nevada and of affinity bar associations, the National Bar Association, and the Latino Bar Association, supported DICE meetings from the outset. One hundred people attended DICE’s first panel discussion luncheon in 2021 entitled, “Diversity in the Legal Profession.” Panelists included Judge Tierra D. Jones, Bryan Scott, and past CCBA President Nedda Ghandi.
The panel discussion provided insights into diversity challenges in Clark County. One issue the panel discussed is the pipeline of the future for diversity in the profession.
Leaders in Training (LIT) is an innovative nonprofit in the Las Vegas diversity pipeline, which introduced itself to DICE in 2022. LIT provides support and internships for high school students becoming first-generation college students. What innovators do you celebrate who promote diversity and inclusion in Las Vegas?
In furtherance of its diversity and inclusion leadership purposes, in 2022, DICE co-hosted the “Hispanic Leaders in Law Celebrating Nevada’s Latino Legal Pioneers.” Judge Cristina Silva, Judge Adriana Escobar, JudgeVincent Ochoa, and Leslie Nino Piro spoke to a large group of attendees at the Mob Museum. DICE also hosted two informative CLE programs on “An Introduction to Critical Race Theory” and “Critical Race Theory on Civil Rights and Criminalization,” with an outstanding panel of legal professors from University of San Diego School of Law and from UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law in 2022.
DICE co-hosted CCBA’s first two annual “Meet Your Law Students” mixers in 2022 and 2023. DICE held an outstanding luncheon in 2023 entitled, “Diversity in Action: Recruiting a Diverse Workforce.”
Please feel welcome to enjoy DICE events and all other CCBA activities in 2024. And I hope we will all be free from the burden of hate.
Editor’s notes: “Hispanic Leaders in Law Celebrating Nevada’s Latino Legal Pioneers” was recorded by the Mob Museum. Video posted on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueGXank9YsE. Also, the programs “An Introduction to Critical Race Theory,” “Critical Race Theory on Civil Rights and Criminalization,” and “Diversity in Action: Recruiting a Diverse Work” were recorded and available upon request from the CCBA for a limited time. See https://clarkcountybar.org/marketplace/cle-programs/.
About the author
Paul C. Ray has practiced business and real estate litigation and appeals for 32 years. He is with the law firm of Paul C. Ray, Chtd. Paul serves as CCBA President through December 31, 2024.
About the article
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This article was originally published in the Communiqué ([cover date]. 2024), the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association. See [link to issue page].
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