When you hear that the NALP Foundation and the University of Texas School of Law’s Center for Women in Law recently conducted a study on the experiences of women of color in law schools, you’d probably think that The Jabot podcast — dedicated to issues of diversity in the legal profession — would be all over that. But it pretty quickly came to my attention that despite the no doubt good intentions of the study, there was something pretty important missing — specific data about Native American women in law school.
In this week’s episode of The Jabot, I speak with Thomasina Real Bird, Angelique EagleWoman, Paulene Abeyta, Christina McDonogh, and Aidan Graybill about the exclusion of Native voices in the The Center for Women in Law and The NALP Foundation’s study, “Women of Color – A Study of Law Student Experiences.” We discuss what NALP gets wrong in their study, why the NALP response to the criticisms isn’t sufficient, and the unique issues facing Native American law students and what work is needed to address them.
Additional Reading:
– Native women law students excluded from so-called “Women of Color in Law Schools” study
– Native American Attorney Study
The Jabot podcast is an offshoot of the Above the Law brand focused on the challenges women, people of color, LGBTQIA, and other diverse populations face in the legal industry. Our name comes from none other than the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the jabot (decorative collar) she wears when delivering dissents from the bench. It’s a reminder that even when we aren’t winning, we’re still a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Happy listening!
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).