WMU-Cooley Law student speaks during SBM American Indian Law and ADR Sections diversity lunch

On March 25, the State Bar of Michigan American Indian Law Section (AILS) and the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section's (ADRS) Diversity and Inclusion Action Team co-sponsored a virtual discussion for mediators, arbitrators, other alternative dispute resolution practitioners, and members of the American Indian Law Section.

WMU-Cooley third-year law student Stacey L. Rock, the law student adviser to the SBM American Indian Law Section, was a presenter.

Rock, a member of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, is the assistant court administrator/clerk of the courts for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Tribal Court. For the past eight years she has served as the support staff person for the Pokagon Band Peacemaking Program.

“I was honored to discuss my tribe’s peacemaking efforts and how it can help inform new approaches to diversifying how we resolve legal conflicts,” said Rock. “While these conversations are not easy to have, they are necessary, and they must continue. Discussing bias, race, ethnicity and cultures are difficult conversations to have in a diverse setting, but in order to overcome our differences we must understand our similarities. We must educate ourselves about the things we do not know, and most importantly, as future lawyers we must educate others to do the same.”

Other presenters included: Lee Hornberger, SBM, ADRS Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chair;   Amy Wesaw, AILS chair; and Shawntane Williams, SBM ADRS  Council Member and Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chair.