S P E C I A L F E A T U R E A l e x i s D i o n D e v e a u x – G u n s t e r & L y n d s e y S i a r a - 6 t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t
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itistheYld ’ shopethat “ bridgingthedEigapinlaw ” willindeliblymemorialize thepivotalandimpactfulexperiencesofourlocallegallegacies forthebenefitofyouandfuturegenerationsoflawyers .
Tampa Bay is home to some of Florida ’ s most influential , inspiring , and trailblazing legal legends . A desire to indelibly preserve their legal experiences — as pertains to race , gender , disability , and LGBTQ + issues — prompted the HCBA YLD to produce a documentary capturing their perspectives . Over 15,000 hours of planning , filming , and editing later , the Bridging the DEI Gap in Law documentary debuted to the Tampa Bay legal community on April 26 , 2023 .
Inspiration
The inspiration for this project was the 2012 HCBA documentary entitled Before the Law Was Equal ( BTLWE ) — a collaborative production effort by the HCBA YLD and the ( then named ) HCBA Diversity Committee . BTLWE captured the oral histories of those in our legal community who experienced inequalities during the time of segregation . Their impactful stories regarding the racial inequalities they faced served as an excellent precursor to Bridging the DEI Gap in Law . If you have not yet seen the BTLWE film , we encourage you to watch it on the HCBA ’ s YouTube channel ( visit hillsbar . com to find the link to the YouTube channel ).
Conceptualization In 2019 , under the leadership of then- YLD President Traci Koster , the YLD Board recognized BTLWE was nearing its 10-year premiere anniversary . In perhaps post-pandemic-induced motivation , the Board decided to embark on the production of an updated documentary . And so , production began on what would become Bridging the DEI Gap in Law .
The concept behind Bridging the DEI Gap in Law was to provide a contextual update on the diversity , equity , and inclusion progress made in our legal community pertaining to race , gender , disability , and LGBTQ + issues . While BTLWE focused primarily on racial inequities , Bridging the DEI Gap in Law would expand the lens of focus , recognizing the wide array of inequities that attorneys face . What was ultimately created is a moving account of where we ’ ve been , how far we ’ ve come , and what we hope to see in the next ten years for the Tampa Bay legal community .
Collaboration With the HCBA : At the end of last Bar year , the YLD
Board formulated strategies to bring this project to fruition .
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