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Season's Greetings!
I hope this newsletter brings you all good cheer. BWLA has been busy this season in both our individual professional lives and collectively as an organization. Some of the initiatives we are most proud of are the opportunities we have found to give back to our community.
As we do each year, we partnered with the Salvation Army and the Angel Giving Tree to ensure hundreds of children in the Chicagoland area receive toys and other presents this Christmas. The Scholarship Fund Board hosted our Fifth Annual Sips for Scholarships fundraiser event where we came together to raise scholarships but also present ten law students with awards to assist in purchasing their law school books. Finally, BWLA hosted a service-focused holiday party where we caught up with old and new friends but also packed essential items to create blessings bags for individuals experiencing homelessness during this holiday season. From our ticket sales and donations, BWLA was able to contribute 80 blessing bags to those in the community experiencing housing hardships. For all those who participated in these initiatives, many thanks.
As the year comes to close, I encourage each of you to be generous of spirit but also allow yourself and others grace. I also hope the holidays bring joy, prosperity, and new beginnings for you and everyone in our BWLA family.
Sincerely,
Elsa Andrianifahanana
President
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Purchase Your Tickets and Reserve Your Room Today for 2023 BWLA National Summit of Black Women Lawyers | |
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Tickets for BWLA's 2023 National Summit of Black Women Lawyers on March 30-April 1, 2023 are now available for purchase! The Summit will be held at the Fairmont Chicago Millenium Park Hotel in Downtown Chicago. Rooms can be booked and reserved at a special rate by summit attendees here!
Discounted rates for summit tickets are available for financially current BWLA members! Current dues-paying members received an email with the access code.
For more information on how to sponsor and/or get involved with the Summit, please contact our National Summit Team.
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We encourage you to pay your BWLA dues and take advantage of the discounted rates on ticketed events for financially current BWLA members, including a savings of at least $150.00 to our 2023 National Summit of Black Women Lawyers! Current dues-paying members received a separate correspondence with these promotional opportunities. If you have questions about your membership status, please contact administrator@bwla.org. | |
Click on Flyer to Apply Now for BWLA's Scholarships | |
Reserve Your Spot at the upcoming BWLA Mentoring Dinner | |
Join BWLA for its Annual Virtual Whole30 Kick-Off Meeting and Program | |
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Join BWLA in starting the New Year off right by focusing on clean eating and establishing habits that will have a positive impact on your overall health. Discover which foods induce cravings, cause inflammation, and contribute to many other issues in your body.
For 30 days, participants will follow the Whole30 Program with the support of other BWLA members and the guidance of certified Whole30 Coach, Alexis Robertson.
Kick Off Informational Meeting: January 19, 2022
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
via Zoom Meeting
(link provided post-RSVP)
BWLA's Whole30 Program Begins January 23, 2022!!!
Please click here to RSVP to the kick-off meeting and to join our Whole30 Facebook group. Can't make the kick-off meeting? You can still RSVP to participate via the Facebook group!
If you wish to learn more about the Whole30 Program, we recommend purchasing this guide. Purchase is not mandatory to participate!
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Join BWLA for Fun on the Slopes | |
BWLA Celebrate For a Great Cause at its Jingle and Mingle Holiday Party | |
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On Friday December 9, 2022, BWLA members and supporters celebrated together at BWLA's Jingle and Mingle Holiday Party held at Chicago Live Events at 738 North Clark Street in Chicago. Entertained by a live DJ, attendees laughed and mingled the night away, all while enjoying the tasty wine and drinks and yummy hors d'oeuvres.
In addition to having a great time, the holiday party attendees also gave to a great cause. Each ticket, as well as other donations, contributed to BWLA Blessing Bags, which were filled with essential items and given to individuals experiencing homelessness during this holiday season. From its ticket sales and donations, BWLA was able to contribute 80 Blessing Bags to those in the community experiencing housing hardships!
BWLA wants to thank everyone who purchased tickets and donated to the holiday party and the Blessing Bags initiative!
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BWLA at the Diversity Scholarship Foundation Unity Award Gala | |
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On Tuesday, December 6, 2022, BWLA attended the Diversity Scholarship Foundation's 20th Anniversity Unity Award Gala at the Chicago Hilton Grand Ballroom. Established by Justice Jesse Reyes of the Illinois First District Appellate Court, the Unity Award Gala celebrates leaders in the legal community who promote diversity and inclusion and also provides scholarships and opportunities to exceptional law students of diverse backgrounds in the State of Illinois.
This year, the Diversity Scholarship Foundation awarded 22 scholarships to deserving law students. The Foundation also honored several notable members of the legal community with various awards, including BWLA Founder/Past President The Honorable Patricia Brown Holmes (Ret.) who was awarded with the Justice Laura Liu Access to Justice Award. In addition, during the gala, BWLA President Elsa Andrianifahanana was among those presidents from various bar associations who took the "Oath of Unity," pledging to uphold the principles of diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal profession.
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BWLA Celebrates Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Virginia Cunningham's Investiture
On Thursday, December 1 2022, BWLA attended the investiture of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Joy Virginia Cunningham. Justice Cunningham is the second Black woman to serve on the state's highest court, following Justice Lisa Holder White, who was appointed and sworn in earlier this year. Justice Cunningham fills the vacancy created by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke, who retired after serving on the Illinois Supreme Court for 16 years.
Justice Cunningham began her judicial career in 1996 when she was sworn in as an Associate Judge in Cook County Circuit Court. Justice Cunningham comes to the Illinois Supreme Court after serving as an elected First District Appellate Court Justice since 2006.
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BWLA Hosts its 5th Annual Sips for Scholarships | |
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On Thursday November 17, 2022, BWLA Scholarship Fund hosted its annual Sips for Scholarship event at Nych Art Gallery in Pilsen. Guests enjoyed an evening of networking, dancing, eating and drinking from several Black-owned wine and spirit brands, including Love Cork Screw and Duo Vodka.
During the event, BWLA announced the 10 award recipients for the 2022 Fall Book Scholarships. Each recipient received $1,000.00. The BWLA Scholarship Fund Board also announced upcoming scholarship opportunities, inclduing the Bar Review Scholarship which will be awarded in the summer of 2023. Applications for the bar review scholarship can be found here.
Lastly, Guests participated in a silent auction for various items of interest, including a trip to the Dominican Republic, game day tickets to the Chicago Bulls and Cubs, hotel stays, dinner vouchers, spa services, and many more. Overall, BWLA Scholarship Fund raised over $13,500 that will be used to fund further scholarships!
BWLA thanks all those who attended the event, as well as those who donated and/or participated in the silent auction!
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Jasmine Boykin, 3L
NIU College of Law
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Deja Clemmons, 2L
U of I @ Chicago College of Law
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Jennifer Dickey, 2L
Chicago - Kent College of Law
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Ivory Djahouri, 3L
U of I @ Chicago College of Law
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Naida Langdom, 2L
U of I @ Chicago College of Law
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Jessica Obi, 1L
DePaul College of Law
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Ashley Shannon, 3L
U of I @ Chicago College of Law
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Althea Williams, 3L
Chicago Kent College of Law
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Janiyah Williams, 1L
Chicago - Kent College of Law
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Tomale "Mel" Williams, 1L
Chicago - Kent College of Law
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Street Law Team Kicks the Season Off!
On Thursday, November 10, 2022, the BWLA Street Law Team, started its 2022-2023 school year program at Noble Academy in the Old Town neighbohood of Chicago.
As part of this first session, the participating high school students were instroduced to the school liason, Mr. Zachary Weiner, BWLA's Chair and Board Liaison, Tondalaya Lloyd, and BWLA Board Member, Kina Arnold, as well as others from the BWLA Street Law Team. Attorney Karen Porter led the first lesson teaching to a small crowd of high school students eager to learn more about the law and how it applies today.
If your are insterested in joining the Street Law Team, sign up here.
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Congratulations to BWLA Ex-Offico Nakhia Crossley on her new position Director, Federal and State Regulatory Affairs at ADT Solar. | |
Congratulations to Tondalya Lloyd on being honored as The National Black Lawyers Top 100. | |
Congratulations to Chantelle A. Porter on being appointed as a Circuit Court Judge in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit for DuPage County. She will be the first African American woman to serve as a Judge in that Judicial Circuit. | |
Congratulations to Deborah Seriki on her new position as an Associate at Valentine Austriaco & Bueschel. | |
Do you or someone you know have an achievement that you'd like us to highlight in our monthly newsletter? We want to celebrate our members! Send your latest achievement addressed to administrator@bwla.org. | |
Interested in Being More Engaged with BWLA, Signing Up for a Committee, or Paying your Current Bar Year Membership Dues | |
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Are you interested in becoming more active in BWLA during the 2022-2023 bar year? If so, we have plenty of opportunities you may want to consider, including:
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Joining BWLA. If you haven't yet renewed your BWLA membership for the 2022-2023 bar year, please register here!
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Serving as a Committee Member. BWLA has several committees that members can join. If you're interested in serving on a committee, please fill out this brief survey here!
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Serving on the Judicial Evaluation Committee. The Judicial Evaluation Committee (JEC) evaluates the qualifications of those who seek election, appointment to or retention to judicial office. The work that the committee does is vital to making sure candidates are just and fair, knowledgeable about the law and are not biased. If interested sign up here!
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BWLA constantly receives new employment opportunities that our members may be interested in. The ever expanding list has become too lengthy to share here, so please be sure to visit the BWLA Job Board to view all current employment opportunities!
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