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Welcome from the Co-Chairs
Martin Luther King notably said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” We, as Co-Chairs of the Minority Bar Committee will not remain silent and neither will our committee. The mission of the Minority Bar Committee is to “assure full and equal participation of minorities in the PBA, the legal profession, and the justice system in general.”
We uphold the core values and beliefs of our mission as seen in our programming and initiatives. We remain committed to promoting diversity, equity, equality, and justice in the legal profession and world as a whole.
The Minority Bar Committee proactively stands at the forefront of issues that impact people of color and minorities. This stand includes our Houston’s Legacy Newsletter, which highlights current events that directly impact communities of color. Further, this stand includes Minority Law Day, which is geared towards exposing inner-city youth to the legal profession. This stand also includes Minority Law Day and the Diversity Summit, which are aimed at tackling a plethora of systemic issues that impact communities of color and the minority population.
We want to take this moment to remind all members of the Minority Bar Committee that we stand in solidarity with you. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss these issues, your feelings, develop a potential program or event, or anything else that may be of concern.
Further, we invite all members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association to join with us.
Finally, we ask that all members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association commit to the mission of the Minority Bar Committee by adding your voice, mind, and hands to “assure full and equal participation of people of color and minorities in the PBA, the legal profession, and the justice system in general.”
Best Regards,
Anthony Cox, Co- Chair
Su Ming Yeh, Co- Chair
PBA Minority Bar Committee 2021-2022
Featured Member: Trent Hargrove
Trent Hargrove is the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s (PBA) chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer, where he has held the position since January 2014. Trent had many firsts in his career that laid a foundation for his current DEI work. Two of those firsts: As Pennsylvania’s first Chief Diversity Officer, he managed a major new initiative to evaluate the Commonwealth’s diversity programs and implement best practices. As Pennsylvania Chief Deputy Attorney General for Civil Rights Enforcement, Trent obtained an injunction to remove the Alpha HQ website under the Pennsylvania State Civil Redress statute, which was the first time in U.S. history that a hate website was removed from the internet.
At the PBA, Trent is responsible for overseeing and facilitating its efforts to improve DEI within the PBA and Pennsylvania's legal profession. Some of his accomplishments during his tenure include the organizing and implementation of diversity business development initiatives, and building stronger connections with the various affinity bars in the commonwealth, including the Philadelphia Barristers, a local chapter of the National Bar Association the nation’s oldest and largest global network of predominantly Black American attorneys and judges, the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania and affinity groups within local bar associations.
Trent also serves as faculty for various continuing legal education seminars that promote DEI for all attorneys who feel on the fringe of the profession. This includes attorneys with disabilities, women, minorities, LGBTQ+ and veteran and military attorneys. While the PBA is committed to DEI efforts, it is Trent’s job to make sure the PBA culture sends a message of this priority. This work is sometimes subtle and always challenging.
Trent’s fun fact is that he likes to run and helped train his wife of 38 years for a half marathon.
Congratulations, Trent!
Past Featured Members
Judge Cheryl Lynne Austin
Philip Yoon
Gina M. Thomas
Nigel Scott
Judge Stephanie Domitrovich
Ana Paulina Gomez
Judge Nicola Henry Taylor
Mission
The mission of the Minority Bar Committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (hereinafter PBA) is to assure full and equal participation of minorities in the PBA, the legal profession, and the justice system in general. In order to achieve this mission, the Minority Bar Committee will:
- Identify and promote opportunities that allow minorities within the legal profession to participate fully in the work, responsibilities, and rewards of the PBA and the legal profession in general. Included in this objective are matters relating to the advancement of minorities within law firms and other professional and business entities, job opportunities for minorities, elimination of racial discrimination in the legal profession and within the broader community, and effective avenues for minority lawyers and judges to avail themselves of opportunities within the PBA to address issues of special interest to minority lawyers.
- Monitor the current status of minorities in the legal profession and the justice system in general, identify their career paths and goals, and actively promote their advancement and achievement.
- Develop educational programs in the way of seminars and surveys, among other measures, to address discrimination against minorities within the legal profession, and the justice system in general.
- Make recommendations to the PBA Board of Governors and House of Delegates for action on issues affecting minorities within the legal profession and the justice system in general.
- Make recommendations to the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government, and other groups within the justice system on issues affecting racial minorities and their communities in accordance with the PBA Bylaws.