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Know your worth, and—no matter how scary that may be—never accept less. The rewards are priceless.
Yesterday – nine months into the year – was #NativeWomensEqualPayDay. This means that Native American women had to work until September 8, 2021, to earn what their white, non-Hispanic male colleagues earned on average in 2020—that is 60 cents for every dollar. This equates to more than $24,000 per year and $1 million over a 40-year career.
On Wednesday, September 1, 2021, in Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, 594 U.S. ____ (2021), the U.S. Supreme Court declined to act on an emergency request to stop Senate Bill 8 (S.B. 8), effectively ending Roe v. Wade in the state of Texas.
The devastating situation in Afghanistan has underscored the risk of harm that Afghan women attorneys, judges, journalists, and women’s rights advocates have always faced.1 Despite those risks, these women worked from within to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan. And their advocacy worked: during the prior Taliban regime that fell 20 years ago, there were no women judges in Afghanistan.2 Today, there are approximately 270.
Like many of you, I have been consumed by thoughts of the disturbing human rights situation currently unfolding in Afghanistan. I have read many stories of professional women—attorneys, judges, journalists, women’s rights advocates, and other professionals—who are now at risk of being killed, tortured, or imprisoned. There are approximately 270 women judges in Afghanistan, many of whom are now in the process of burning records of their decades-long careers in order to avoid imprisonment or death.1
During three grueling years of law school and about $160,000 in student loans later, no one taught the art of salary negotiations or even mentioned that it would be a skill essential to my career. So as a second-year associate in a large San Diego law firm, I had no idea that I could, or more importantly, should, ask for a raise. In fact, a few of my female colleagues told me that asking for a raise was not worth it.
The news this week has been dominated by Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the team competition in the “2020” Tokyo Olympics. I admit, my initial reaction was one of disappointment. After all, she is the GOAT, and I was excited to see her compete and win a gold medal for our country.
After I had time to reflect, however, I realized that the pressure placed on Biles as a single member of an incredibly talented team was untenable, unfair, and in fact diminished the talent and contributions of the rest of the team. The entire country—if not the entire world—looked to Biles, and Biles alone, to secure the gold medal. In doing so, we bought into the paradigm that team USA could not win without Biles. But that was not the reality. As Biles courageously made the decision to withdraw to protect both her mental and physical health, Biles’ teammate, Sunisa Lee, won gold in the individual all-around competition.
During the early morning hours of June 28, 1968, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village in New York City. Officers forced customers and workers into police vehicles. Rather than dispersing the crowd as had occurred during past raids, those remaining starting cheering and the crowd mushroomed. According to several accounts, a clubgoer shouted at onlookers, “Why don’t you guys do something!” And they did. The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, sparked six days of protests and clashes with police officers. Leaders among this crowd included prominent trans women such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
As I embark on the biggest leadership role of my career, I have been reflecting upon how I got here. Largely, I listened and followed the advice and counsel of numerous people who encouraged me along the way. Their advice included to join Lawyers Club of San Diego in order to gain leadership skills, volunteer my time to a mission about which I was passionate, and step outside my comfort zone. Those people—whether they know it or not—are my mentors, and I am grateful for their advice and encouragement.
As your president, I have been deeply honored and humbled for the privilege to share messages with you since July 1, 2020 in a year like no other for each of us and for Lawyers Club. Together we have lived through a global pandemic and also witnessed an increase in awareness of the inequities for women and people of color to heights not seen for decades. And we saw women continue to shatter glass ceilings when the first woman—a woman of color became Vice President of the United States.
