Embassy of the United States Ottawa, Canada

In August 2012, I was honored to be contacted by the U.S. Department of State to participate in a series of lectures, roundtable discussions, and informal meetings with women, minorities and other interested persons about diversity, the judiciary, and engaging the next generation. The presentations were to be held in Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax and live web coverage was available throughout Canada.

I was very impressed with the planning of these events. In each city, I was informed of the particular concerns of the various audiences so I was able to adapt my presentations to address those concerns. My presentations were held at the U.S. Embassy, Department of Justice Canada, law schools, and in the community. Attendees included representatives and employees from these entities but also community organizations, bar leaders, judges, human resource professionals and general audiences interested in these issues. I appreciated these settings as it gave me an opportunity to learn more about the governmental structure of Canada. My education was furthered by my visits to the House of Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada, the Office of the US Consulate, and a provincial court in Montreal. I also had the privilege of meeting with so many Canadians who enthusiastically shared their own experiences and perspectives on diversity issues.

I addressed the audiences over a period of a week, delivering many presentations during the day and dining with representatives at mealtimes. Each group was diverse in race, ethnicity, and gender. While the various groups were interested in discovering my journey, I was also eager to learn the history and status of women and minorities in Canada and the comparative struggles with the United States. I really appreciated the various formats of my presentations since they enabled me to better interact with the audiences and address their particular questions and concerns, which I found to be relative to the region of the country in which I spoke.

The comments were so enlightening and informative. Not only did the audiences desire to address a broad range of issues surrounding topics of diversity, they were genuinely interested in U.S. civil rights milestones, legislation and policies and their affect on the representation of women and minorities in the upper ranks of our three branches of government. We also discussed the distinctions in the various selection processes of the U.S. judiciary and the modern approach to obtaining more diverse workplaces. While the U.S. and Canada are closely aligned by geography and engage in many partnerships, they differ in many respects in their approach to judicial selection processes. While I acknowledged many barriers to the upward mobility of women and minorities in the U.S., I hope that my presentations were also effective in displaying the many accomplishments of these groups in their general representation in government and other workplaces as well as the benefits, challenges and opportunities for diversity in these settings. Resolution of these issues will certainly require a concerted effort by all involved to appreciate and respect the beauty of individual differences. I was happy to meet so many committed individuals working toward these shared goals.

The entire trip was a remarkable experience. I am so grateful to have had this phenomenal opportunity.