Meet Tom Pack, one of our incoming 2021 Board Directors! We chatted with Tom to hear more about why he’s involved with Twin Cities Diversity in Practice.
Why did you first get involved with TCDIP? TCDIP is a unique organization that allows law firms and companies—including firms and companies which are typically competitors!—to come together and collaborate for the goal of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion for attorneys of color in the Twin Cities. It was hard to resist being involved in such a unique organization with a critical mission. Plus it helps me feel like I have my own community of diverse attorneys in the Twin Cities.
How do you hope TCDIP will grow during your term as a Board Member? I’m excited to see TCDIP play a leading role in providing antiracism resources for the Twin Cities legal community. I hope that, after a year or two of programming, TCDIP’s programming will shift the conversation in the legal community from “diversity is good” to “we need to be actively examining and opposing racism in our communities and organizations.”
What is your favorite TCDIP event or program? Typically I most look forward to the summer social, because it is such a joyous celebration. But between the COVID-19 pandemic and the fact that the killing of Black people by government actors continues apparently unabated, I believe the Minnesota Racial Equity Challenge is the most important program to me right now.
What does TCDIP mean to your organization? TCDIP has changed the way we recruit both law students but also laterals, and has provided excellent programming for our legal professionals.