Last week, Bullivant’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee held their first quarterly DEI event in each of our offices. The Committee held museum visits for the kick-off event to focus on one of the three pillars of our DEI Plan, Community.* Employees in each office were invited to attend a museum visit to learn about the history of the communities surrounding our offices, and a lunch to discuss and debrief the trip.
Seattle
Members of our Seattle office visited the Wing Luke Museum, which is located in the Chinatown-International District. The Smithsonian-affiliated museum celebrates the history, culture, and art of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The museum provides deep insights into the experiences of these communities through exhibits that explore topics like Japanese internment and contemporary art.
Portland
Portland office employees visited the Oregon Historical Society Museum. The OHSM allows visitors to discover the stories that shape Oregon through interactive museum exhibitions that make history visible and accessible for all ages. The museum features permanent and traveling exhibits on topics like the history of Colegio César Chávez, the legacy of Good Samaritan Hospital, and the Japanese immigrant experience in Oregon.
San Francisco
Employees in our San Francisco office attended the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ exhibit The Only Door I can Open: Women Exposing Prison through Art. The immersive, multimedia exhibit featured the work of eight currently and formerly incarcerated artists. Each was asked to reflect on their relationship to their bed. Opened to the public in 1993, YBCA was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Their work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life.
About the Experience
Kaitlyn Diccicco, Bullivant’s Seattle and San Francisco Office Manager, attended the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts exhibit and shared,
It was interesting to explore the environment that women, specifically, are meant to be reformed in before re-entering society after serving time. It really exposes the way in which our country’s established reformation process often fails our citizens who struggle with substance abuse and or have dealt in petty crime, ultimately affecting their ability to adequately reenter into and become productive members of society.
Varro Clarke, Associate Attorney and member of Bullivant’s DEI Committee, visited the Oregon Historical Society Museum. He reflected on his visit,
Coming from outside of Oregon, I missed a lot of the cultural history specific to the state. Speaking with colleagues on our outing, I was interested to compare the education and perspective we received on the impacts of cultural leaders like Caesar Chavez. There was a lot I didn’t know about the activism and the struggle – I knew things in the abstract but I found it valuable to see accounts of people who were there. It’s so important to see that we are a part of the justice system and we have a part to play as attorneys, no matter the scope of our practice. The system is all connected and we all have a role in it.
Stay tuned to hear more about Bullivant’s DEI Committee quarterly events.
*Bullivant’s DEI Plan features three foundational pillars:
Workplace: We Commit to the daily work of making the firm an equitable and inclusive place to work.
Workforce: We know that having a diverse workforce is critical to our goals and we commit to the long-term work of increasing diversity throughout the firm.
Community: We are committed to supporting equity and inclusion in our legal community.
