Legal Leaders for Diversity and Inclusion – November, 2017

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” –Mahatma Gandhi

Greetings!

Welcome to our newest members:

• Kikelomo Lawal, Chief Legal Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Interac
• Shelley Babin, VP Law & General Counsel, Ontario Power Generation

Being an LLD signatory provides us with the opportunity to connect with others to create a more inclusive legal profession.  But of course, we need to start with ourselves and the teams we lead.  These individual personal actions, when connected to well in excess of 100 General Counsel, are powerful.

It would be nice to share ideas and personal actions in this monthly newsletter.  One thing we have learned is that Diversity and Inclusion provides a wonderful leadership opportunity for General Counsel and their teams.  Please share your stories with me.  I would love to publish them.

If you are looking at an idea, here is one for you.  Removing the stigma around Mental Health is gaining momentum.  Why not partner with one of your LFDIN members and co-host an event on mental health, or some other aspect of creating a more inclusive legal profession for people with disabilities.

But there are many other ideas and opportunities related to diversity and inclusion.  More than ever this is the opportunity for the legal profession to lead, and in particular the General Counsel in this country to not only stand for inclusion, but to stand up for it!

Cultural and Religious Observances

• November 1 – Take Our Kids to Work Day (Canada) Parents are encouraged to bring their daughters (and/or sons) to work on this day, and to use this opportunity to educate their children on the nature of employment.
• November 2 – All Souls Day (Christian) Christians day of prayers of intercession for the dead. Prayers of the faithful are seen as helping to cleanse the souls of the departed.
• November 3 – Bunka No Hi (Japan) A national holiday dedicated to the love of freedom and promotion of Japanese culture.
• November 11 – Remembrance Day (Australia, Canada, UK, England) This day commemorates the soldiers killed in World Wars I and II and is in remembrance for all those who have given their lives in service of their country. Canadians always set aside this day in memory of those who gave their lives for freedom. Many observers wear red poppies as a symbol of this day.
• November 11 – Veterans Day (USA) It was first proclaimed as Armistice Day in 1919 to commemorate the termination (at 11 AM on November 11, 1918) of World War I.
• November 16 – International Day of Tolerance (UN) A day to advance human welfare, freedom, and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue, and cooperation among different cultures.
• November 20 – Transgender Day of Remembrance (LGBT) Begun in 1999, vigils, services and a variety of other events are held to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.
• November 20 – Universal Children’s Day (UN) Observed since 1954, a day to honor the needs of children and to make those needs known to governments. Observed on different days in over 120 countries.
• November 23 – Thanksgiving Day (USA)
• November 24 – Martyrdom of Guru Teq Bahadur (Sikh) This day commemorates his martyrdom (1621-1675). He was the ninth of the Ten Sikh Gurus and executed in Delhi by the Mughal emperor. He died for the Sikh faith and also for religious liberty.
• November 24 – Native American Heritage Day (USA) The Native American Heritage Day Resolution in 2009, designating the Friday after Thanksgiving as “Native American Heritage Day,” by the US Senate.  
• November 25 – International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women (UN) observed globally on this day each year since 2000, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations draw attention to the need for continuing action to eliminate violence against women.
• November 30 – St. Andrew’s Day (Scotland) This day commemorates the life of the patron saint of Scotland.

Other dates of note