Celebrating Women's History Month: A Note from the Women's Law Caucus

The Women’s Law Caucus of Albany Law School focused this year on working with other student groups to reinforce and prioritize values of diversity and inclusivity, while challenging inherently patriarchal systems of teaching, learning, and practicing the law. Working together, our programs and events included and attracted a wider audience of students, and created more momentum than any one individual group might have done. We sought to provide our classmates with advice for navigating the challenges of practicing the law, while existing within multiple, intersecting identities. We realize that the experience of a female-identifying law student is not singular, and hope to provide opportunities for students to connect with practitioners and mentors with whom they can identify.

During the Fall 2017 semester, we incorporated the themes of diversity and inclusion into our Annual Domestic Violence Vigil and our Annual Women in the Law Panel. At the Domestic Violence Vigil, which we hold each October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we invited both students and professionals to speak about the effects of domestic violence on women of color, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. Our Women in the Law Panel was a collaboration between BLSA, APALSA, LALSA, OUTLaw and the WLC which featured speakers that each group felt represented their identities and interests so as to best address the diversity of our student body.

We realize that the experience of a female-identifying law student is not singular, and hope to provide opportunities for students to connect with practitioners and mentors with whom they can identify.

We began the Spring 2018 semester with a strong showing of support from the Caucus at the Albany Women's March, as many of us were moved to tears hearing Professor Young speak about the hope she has for the future of the legal profession based on her experiences teaching at the law school.  Following the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the Caucus strengthened support for our #WomenCrushWednesdays by encouraging students and faculty in support of ending workplace harassment to wear black in solidarity with victims and survivors of sexual violence. We are currently planning our main event for the semester in collaboration with members of the judiciary who hope to meet with students to provide advice and guidance for changing the culture and eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace.