Steptoe Celebrates History
On January 19, we will celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr.—the only federal holiday honoring a person of color. The very next day we will inaugurate our first president of color—Barack Obama. We are in a rarified historic place! But what does that mean to our country generally and to Steptoe as an institution? Does it mean that we are in a “post-racial” era? Well, that depends on how you define “post-racial.” Does it mean that all men (and don’t forget women) are treated equally because we were created that way? These questions are the grist of what should be candid discussions in the conference rooms and living rooms of America. Still—two things are clear. First, that we should not relinquish our racial and ethnic identities, but celebrate what they contribute to the creativity, ingenuity, and productivity of our country. Second, if anything, President-elect Obama fully acknowledges, as we do, the difficult, but hopeful, path this country faces, even regarding our diversity and inclusion. We gaze down that path with a strong mixture of realism, optimism, and determination—it will not be an easy one. But it will definitely be worth the effort. We will all rise as a nation or we will fall together.
As a firm, we are committed to a journey of self-assessment, self-awareness, and self-improvement that is analogous in some ways to what we confront as a country. This is our firm and we all are responsible for Steptoe’s success—both economically and in terms of the diversity and inclusion of our workplace. Remembering that commitment is all the more important in these difficult economic times. Our diversity and inclusion strengthen us as an institution and we should harness that positive energy to move forward .
In thinking about both our upcoming federal holiday and the Inauguration, I went back to re-read Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” one of his most eloquent and frequently cited works. I was a teenager when he wrote that moving piece—distributing leaflets with my father, brothers, and sisters to advertise the boycott of a local bakery for its discriminatory hiring practices. Even today, Dr. King’s letter has passages that are timely and particularly poignant as we go forward in our dual history both as a nation and as a firm. Dr. King speaks of the interrelatedness of all communities and stresses that “[w]e are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Also, he admonishes us to act assertively and with a profound understanding of the issues confronting us. For “[s]hallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr., Birmingham, AL, Apr.16, 1963).
President-elect Obama echoed Dr. King’s words from the pulpit of his church on January 20, 2008, in commemoration of Dr. King’s birthday last year. Obama reminded us that Dr. King said “’Unity is the great need of the hour’,” and how we would overcome. Our new President reiterated that thought and stressed that:
“Unity is …the great need of this hour. Not because it sounds pleasant or because it makes us feel good, but because it's the only way we can overcome the essential deficit that exists in this country. I’m not talking about a budget deficit…[,] not… a trade deficit…[,] not… a deficit of good ideas or new plans.
I'm talking about a moral deficit. I'm talking about an empathy deficit. I'm taking about an inability to recognize ourselves in one another; to understand that we are our brother's keeper; we are our sister's keeper; that, in the words of Dr. King, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny.
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Unfortunately, all too often when we talk about unity in this country, we've come to believe that it can be purchased on the cheap. We've come to believe that racial reconciliation can come easily - that it's just a matter of a few ignorant people trapped in the prejudices of the past, and that if the demagogues and those who exploit our racial divisions will simply go away, then all our problems would be solved.
All too often, we seek to ignore the profound institutional barriers that stand in the way of ensuring opportunity for all….We long for unity, but are unwilling to pay the price.
But of course, true unity cannot be so easily won. It starts with a change in attitudes - a broadening of our minds, and a broadening of our hearts.
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So let us say on this day of all days, each of us carries with us the task of changing our hearts and minds….”
(Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: The Great Need of the Hour, Atlanta GA, Jan. 20, 2008).
At this point in our shared history, I invite you to re-read and ponder both Dr. King’s and President-elect Obama’s eloquent words in the texts cited below. Happy Birthday, Martin! Godspeed, Barack, on your historic journey!
Sandy Chamblee
Chief Diversity Partner
January 15, 2009
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/01/20/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_40.php
