We all know Betty White from her iconic roles in “Golden Girls,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and for her peppy personality and witty sense of humor. But what has not been written about enough is White’s staunch commitment to social justice and her utilization of her platform to lift the profile of marginalized communities.  

In the 1950s and 60s—when advocating for social justice was controversial—White publicly championed for diversity and inclusion. In 1954, White had a daily TV show on NBC. One of the performers was Arthur Duncan, a Black tap dancer. "All through the South, there was this whole ruckus," White recounted in a 2018 documentary "Betty White: First Lady of Television." "They were going to take our show off the air if we didn't get rid of Arthur, because he was Black." White publicly said: “I'm sorry, but, you know, he stays,'" she said. "'Live with it." In fact, Betty started using Arthur “every chance we got." 

White also championed the rights of and boldly starred alongside LGBTQ characters in the Golden Girls at a time when depicting the LGBTQ community was inconceivable. In 2014, she publicly spoke in favor of marriage equality. In 2018, White financially and publicly supported disability rights and rights of elder Americans.  

"Betty White understood the power of television to shape American culture and used it to bring light to issues and people that were misunderstood or vilified," said Ruben Gonzales, the executive director of LGBTQ Victory Institute. 

White embodied the compassion, vision and ideals of Lawyers Club’s founding mothers and our leaders today.