June 19, 2020—In recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement and Juneteenth, Barclay Damon LLP’s 12 offices will all close early at 3:00 p.m. to give employees an opportunity to take action that supports the Black community, whether reflecting on personal experiences with racism in America as well as how those experiences may differ from someone else’s, explaining what Juneteenth celebrates to their kids, supporting Black-owned businesses, volunteering with a civil rights organization, or watching a movie or picking up a book from the Diversity Partner Committee’s “Anti-Racism Resources” list.
The firm additionally partnered with Black-owned sign vendor Ariella to emblazon the Barclay Damon Tower in downtown Syracuse with “BLM” and light it up in red, white, and blue this weekend.
“Barclay Damon recognizes that the real work of change doesn’t come from our social media feeds, it comes from our day-to-day choices and actions that build into something bigger and brighter, together,” John Langan, the firm’s managing partner, said. “We remain committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the firm, in the legal profession, and in our communities, and we’ll keep taking steps to ensure we move forward together and not backward.”
“The firm has greatly expanded its D&I program and efforts over the past decade, and we reaffirm our commitment to doing the hard work of challenging our own biases and assumptions and holding ourselves and Barclay Damon accountable,” Sheila Gaddis, Diversity Partner Committee chair, added. “Getting outside of our comfort zones has been a hallmark of Barclay Damon’s culture, and we encourage individuals to celebrate Juneteenth with actions that help build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world.”