July 19, 2024
The CBF firmly believes that Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) and the values it reflects are an integral part of reaching our vision of a justice system that is fair, equitable, and accessible for everyone in our community, and we are committed to incorporating JEDI into all aspects of our work. In light of recent events, the CBF issued the following statement to reaffirm our commitment to these values:
The Chicago Bar Foundation (CBF) is working to build a “fairer and better justice system, together.” The word “together” encapsulates the CBF goal to bring our entire legal community together around our profession’s common cause of ensuring equal access to justice.
But the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is in flux. As a result of the 2023 decision by the United States Supreme Court, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) v. Presidents and Fellows of Harvard College, et al, many businesses and other entities have questioned, reduced, or eliminated their DEI programs. Since SFFA, the CBF is aware of numerous lawsuits against law firms, corporations, bar associations, government entities, and other organizations and programs regarding the defendants’ DEI practices.
The CBF is not backing down from our JEDI commitment as we remain compliant with applicable laws. We reaffirm our pledge to integrate our central goals of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in our board leadership, grants and programs, advocacy initiatives, internal operations, and training.
To learn more about the CBF’s commitment to JEDI, visit the CBF website at https://chicagobarfoundation.org/jedi/.