On June 5, 2009, VCAABA Co-President John Fukasawa participated in the State Bar Diversity Forum on behalf of VCAABA. VCAABA Board Member Tina Rasnow, who is a member of the State Bar Council on Access & Fairness, helped moderate, facilitate and record the program sessions. The day-long event, hosted by the State Bar Council on Access & Fairness, was held at the Administrative Office of the Courts in San Francisco, and included plenaries and breakout sessions covering the length of the diversity pipeline, from preschool to the bench. The main purpose of the Forum was to identify, discuss, and examine solutions to the problems of lack of diversity in the bar. The sessions discussed everything leading up to and beyond the bar, from elementary to SAT, college, LSAT, law school admission, law school, bar exam, employment, retention in the legal profession, to judgeships. The keynote address was delivered by the Hon. LaDoris Cordell (ret.), who shared her long term, persistent efforts to require the use of the Ignition Interlock Device in DUI cases as an example of how difficult change can be, and how persistence is necessary to effect change. Judge Cordell closed her address with the following quote from Martin Luther King, Jr:

"It may well be that we will have to repent in this generation - not merely for the vitriolic words of the bad people and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence and indifference of the good people, who sit around and say 'Wait on time'. Somewhere we must come to see that social progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help time. We must realize that the time is always right to do right." [King on Time - an excerpt from an address by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Auditorium, Stanford University, 14 April 1967.]

The morning plenary session focused on leaks in the early pipeline (pre-K through high school, and college) that operate to restrict the number of diverse students interested in, and eligible to, attend law school. The afternoon plenary session focused on leaks in the pipeline from law school through the legal profession and judiciary. In each segment, breakout sessions followed the plenary where specific ideas were discussed to seal the leaks. For example, programs that provide immigrant parents with advocacy skills to lobby on behalf of their children in school can help direct students to courses that will enhance their chances of getting into a university and law school. Programs that operate to recruit and retain diverse attorneys in the workplace may be needed to overcome a lack of diversity in certain employment sectors. Mentoring is key to getting diverse attorneys to seek judicial appointment.

Many ideas were shared at the forum that VCAABA can explore in terms of mentoring and expanding opportunities for diverse youth inVentura County. For example, young attorneys of color, especially those coming from recent immigrant families, explained how difficult it was to study for the bar exam when staying at home to save money since working while studying for the bar is not a recommended option. Immigrant parents may have difficulty understanding how time consuming studying can be, as well as the need for quiet and no distractions. These young attorneys explained how family demands and expectations, such as babysitting younger siblings, would constantly interfere with studying, and something as basic as having a quiet place to stay while studying for the bar would be a big help. Perhaps VCAABA members may be willing to house law school grads for a month or so while they study for the bar, and this can be one of the ways our organization can help with the diversity pipeline.

State Bar President Holly Fujie presented several diversity awards in the categories of attorney, law firm, bar association, and education to well-deserving recipients. Southern California Edison received an award for diversity employer of the year. The Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area was also honored. Holly Fujie received a special award recognizing her efforts in promoting diversity.