COUNCIL FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Chair ’ s
COLUMN
2022 Starts Strong for the CDI
Happy New Year ! I hope the holiday season was full of love and joy for each of you and your families . 2021 was a big year for the SCBA ’ s Council for Diversity and Inclusion ( CDI ). We finalized our transition from the legacy “ Diversity Committee ” to our current form as the Council for Diversity and Inclusion .
The change is not simply nomenclature . It is an intentional elevation of the legacy committee to something more . As a committee , we were a group of dedicated individuals within the SCBA who were interested in promoting diversity and inclusion . The elevation to council ensures that the mission of the CDI is now baked into the DNA of the SCBA as a whole . We serve the entirety of the SCBA now , and look forward to partnering with each section , division , and committee as we move into this new year . We hope to build upon the monumental work done by our predecessors , including , of course , the creation of the Richard Garland Diversity Scholarship , and more recently the Endowed Fund in support of the scholarship .
As we kick off 2022 , the CDI calendar starts strong . We begin on January 17 for a celebration of MLK Day at First United Methodist Church . Then on January 25 we will have an important Town Hall to discuss voting laws . On February 7 , we will be holding our biggest event of the year , the Path to Unity Luncheon , at Michael ’ s on East . Below is a quick description of each event . We hope you will join us ! If you have any questions about how to participate , please feel free to email me directly at isayeg @ mctlaw . com .
January 17 , 2022 - Celebration of MLK Day Exact time TBD First United Methodist Church , 104 S . Pineapple Ave , Sarasota The CDI is proud to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr .’ s impact on our community . Join us as we look forward to exciting performances from Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe . Additionally , we will announce the winners of our annual High School MLK Essay contests , with the winning students reading their essays live . Every year , hearing these students read their moving essays energizes me to continue working to reach these kids . I know each of you will be as moved as I have been and welcome you to join me on January 17 .
January 25 , 2022 - Our first Town Hall of the new year ! Tentatively Planned / Noon-1:00pm / Zoom If you have not attended one of our online town halls yet , you ’ ve been missing out . On this great panel , we will hear from the Supervisors of Elections for both Manatee and Sarasota Counties , as well as the League of Women Voters . We will discuss changes to voting laws and precincts . This discussion will be held on Zoom , and registration instructions will be provided to the membership .
14 | THE DOCKET - JANUARY 2022