Social injustice and racial inequality are issues this country has been talking about for centuries, but have risen to new levels in recent months after outrage over the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, among others. Things get more complex when you add in that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic that has caused widespread salary cuts and layoffs across many industries including legal, and coupled with that, we are in the thick of what appears to be a monumental election season. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 80% of organizations have released or will release a statement to employees about racial injustice and the protests against it. But as the months go by with more civil unrest protests continuing their stronghold around the country we must ask ourselves—is this just a moment in our history or will it finally be the movement that brings about real change? All of this perpetuates the continuum of our industry struggles in becoming more diverse, equitable and inclusive. It is no secret that the legal industry is not diverse or inclusive yet we lead our judicial systems and provide heads of corporations among other esteemed positions.

So the time has come for firms to get with it and really get talking about the social injustices and racial inequalities that continue to plague our firms. Although these topics are uncomfortable to talk about, law firms must open the door to these discussions in order to not just strengthen their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts but to also change firm cultures that have been closeminded to these conversations in the past.