Fatima Goss Graves President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center on being a woman of color in the law field

What is it like being a woman of color in the law field?

In cooperation with Quora, a platform to exchange and share knowledge, an expert regularly answers interesting questions about new work, career, and diversity. This time Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center talks about being a woman of color in the law field

I am the first lawyer in my family, and take a lot of pride in that. I am even prouder that there are now several other extended family members that have followed.

Decades after law schools were formally integrated, women of color remain dramatically underrepresented in law schools and in the profession. In practical terms, that means that many women of color will find themselves in the situation of being the “only” in a room, which is no doubt isolating.

But at the same time, I’ve found the law to be a powerful tool for the change I want to see in the world. It has equipped me with skills that translate in and outside of the law.

If you want to be a lawyer, or better yet, I should say, if you want to practice law, I urge you to follow that dream. And if you are the first in your family, know that you won’t be the last.

First published here (English version)