D&I "Our Viewpoint"

Message From Our CEO: The 2020 Murder of George Floyd

June 5, 2020
As one of the first Cleveland law firms to bring together a group of Jewish and Catholic lawyers, our Firm was founded 100 years ago on the idea that notwithstanding our differences, when brought together, when treated as equals, those differences give us strength. The wisdom and benefits of that idea are our legacy to this very day. Standing upon that history, on behalf of us all, I express our collective condemnation of the killing of George Floyd, of other racist actions against Black Americans and of any actions, individual or systemic, that result in unequal treatment before any form of our nation’s law. As a law firm, equal justice remains among our bedrock principles. We certainly acknowledge the deep pain this has caused throughout our country, but especially among Black Americans.
But a public statement of support is not enough. This moment requires that we act with purpose and intent – that we make a real effort in our own lives to effect change. To that end, I am very pleased to announce, with the strong support of the HLP Board of Directors, a joint effort by the Women’s Leadership Initiative, and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee to launch a program aimed at looking at our own biases. Later this Summer, the entire Firm will participate in anti-bias training as one step in helping us to recognize implicit biases and as a platform to continue discussions around these important issues. I want to thank Kelly Kosek, Danielle Humphries, Sean Medina, and Kim Savon for their continuing efforts in bringing this program to fruition.
I also firmly believe that one of the most critical ways to help address the issues of the last several weeks is through sustained and on-going dialogue across our communities. To that end, we are working with our client, the Sisters of Notre Dame, on a novel idea of reaching out to their prior students in various communities and other members of the public to host one hour Zoom calls to explore the issues of race, inequality, and respect. The Sisters are uniquely placed to bring together diverse groups and to facilitate these conversations given that for more than 100 years they have served as educators and administrators in schools in every community in our area, from the inner city to the suburbs.
I hope you, like me, draw great strength from the example of the history of our Firm. We are living proof that by embracing all people regardless of religion, race, gender, creed, gender identify, or national origin, we can create stronger, more vibrant and successful communities for the benefit of everyone.
Stanley R. Gorom III
CEO and Managing Partner