SBA Equity and Inclusion Committee

Student representatives Akriti Bhargava (VP of Equity and Inclusion), CJ Fuenzalida Nunez, Caitlin Skurky, and other members of SBA. The SBA Equity and Inclusion committee is dedicated to moving our administration, student body, and school as a whole in a more equitable direction.
Equity is the goal we are striving for: an environment that has space and support for students of all marginalized identities to succeed and thrive the same as their counterparts who carry more privileges (race, affluence, physical abilities, etc.). This calls for a structural transformation of the policies, practices, and principles that exist at Lewis & Clark Law School, and though transformation is inevitable as time passes, equity is not - it must be intentionally centered at every step of the way.
Inclusion is the verb: it is the action this committee will take in all of its efforts, as well as advocate for the school to be more inclusive at every turn. This, like all other antiracism work, requires hyper-vigilance and a constant intentionality.
SBA is being intentional about not branding the work this committee does as ‘diversity.’ Diversity is a noun, and it is a by-product. To paraphrase educator and activist Angela Davis: “Diversity without structural transformation simply brings those who were previously excluded into a system as racist and misogynist as it was before.” If we change our law school environment to be equitable and inclusive, diversity naturally follows, for it will be a space where people can authentically exist and belong.