Since its inception, Scharf Banks Marmor LLC has been a proud member of the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms. The message this week from NAMWOLF’s CEO was welcome, and we echo its sentiments and call for action. Scharf Banks Marmor LLC always was and remains a firm that believes in inclusion and diversity, and we add our voice to the call for substantive change and fairness in America’s legal system.
Below is the message from NAMWOLF CEO Joel Stern.
As the CEO of NAMWOLF, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented diverse lawyers and companies committed to diversity and inclusion without question. From this unique vantage point and on behalf of the entire NAMWOLF organization, I want to express how disturbing the events of last week have been to me and to all of us. Unfortunately, these events are not anomalies, and have been occurring every day in our country for hundreds of years. They clearly depict how unequal our law enforcement and justice systems are and how they are used against African Americans and other minorities very differently and adversely from the way they are used for the benefit of white Americans. The NAMWOLF family is sad, hurt, upset, anxious and angry. Silence is unacceptable. Not anymore. This is not the time to be on the sidelines. We must embrace the message of peaceful protesters for just, fair and non-violent treatment of African Americans and minorities by our law enforcement and justice system. As lawyers, it is our duty to support a just legal system that treats all fairly and holds accountable wrongs committed by law enforcement. Also, we must be willing to patiently hear and help solve the grievances of African Americans and minorities in America. We must speak up every time we see an injustice, whether big or small. When we do this, there may be moments of discomfort and we may say and do the wrong thing, but our heart and soul will be in the right place and we will all be better for it. NAMWOLF challenges everyone to do something different tomorrow than you are doing today to make this world better for all people regardless of gender, ethnicity, race or sexual orientation. Realize that there must be change; change is inevitable, and become the change you wish to see in the world. It is going to take a lot of work and it's not going to be easy.
Life is too short and precious for all of us.
