It has taken a few days to say anything “official” about current events, not because we don’t care, but because it took until now to find the words to express the sheer heartache and devastation that we are feeling. For George Floyd. For Breonna Taylor. For Ahmaud Arbery. For the countless victims of bigotry and brutality who came before. For our country. For all of mankind. But we can’t stay silent any longer, no matter how hard it is to put our feelings into words.
We are horrified and deeply affected by the continued injustice that so many communities of color and other minority communities face in today’s America. The truth is, despite the altruistic ideals laid out in the papers on which our country was built – the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation – justice is simply not equal for all Americans. It never has been. Sadly, we can’t change the past, as individuals or as a firm.
But we can do everything in our power to help fight for change. And not just with our words, but more importantly with our time and resources. We fight hard for our clients, but there are countless nameless and faceless people of color in this country who need someone to fight for them.
To that end, the firm is making a donation to Campaign Zero, an organization that was founded to help end police violence in America. This will be the first of many such organizations that the firm donates to in the coming months and years.
Donating money helps, but it is not enough. As lawyers, we are uniquely suited to fight for and demand change. Continuing a long history of pro bono involvement, multiple Chilivis Grubman attorneys have volunteered to represent on a pro bono basis those peaceful protestors who are or have been arrested in Atlanta, and we encourage any other lawyer at the firm who wants to do the same to let us know so we can add them to the list. And this is just the very beginning. Moving forward, Chilivis Grubman will continue to do everything it can to use its influence, time, and resources to keep fighting for meaningful change, celebrate diversity and hire accordingly, and encourage every other law firm and lawyer to do the same.