Diversity Means Valuing—Not Ignoring—Differences by Peter Suzuki

Winter 2008

When someone tells me, "I don’t think of you as an Asian-American, I think of you as a person," I am happy to be thought of as a person, but I have mixed feelings about ignoring the fact that I am an Asian-American.

Diversity is a complex concept that is difficult to measure. On the surface, it appears easy enough to gage diversity’s success within an organization or within society by simply measuring the level to which race, gender or sexual orientation is ignored. Using this yardstick, the goal of diversity is to mainstream minorities and to overcome the harmful prejudices that prevent minorities from achieving their full potential. It is a noble goal and, to the extent that society succeeds, we should applaud these advances. To me, however, achieving diversity is something deeper that is not easily measured. It goes beyond building numbers and ignoring differences. Diversity is about creating an environment where the values of different views and perspectives are valued rather than discouraged or ignored.

Over the years, I have learned that race and gender are complex creations of genetic givens, social influence and personal choice. Eliminating educational barriers to increase the number of minorities entering law school or passing the bar exam is a good start. But it is only a start. Real progress in race and gender relations involves understanding and appreciating our commonalities and differences.

I was lucky to attend Rutgers School of Law in Newark, through its Minority Student Program. This experience provided me with a great legal education and, as important to me, a positive model for improving diversity in the legal profession. Since attending Rutgers and being involved in their robust Minority Student Program, I have gained a lifelong appreciation for the value of spending time with other minority attorneys and have been involved in the National Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the National Native American Bar Association. It is through institutions such as Rutgers and groups such as these that young minority attorneys can find mentors and learn how to build their businesses and their careers. As a minority attorney, it is inspiring to spend time with other minority attorneys; it allows me to better understand and appreciate who I am as a minority lawyer, which encourages me to bring my whole self to my law practice.

One of the most important things I have learned during my career—and the advice that I would provide to others—is to be courageous in your life choices. Say what you think, and find the path that allows you to be who you are and who you want to be. Think about your preferred future. What do you want your law practice, the legal profession and society to look like in 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 years? Then invest in that vision, which could mean making some short-term choices that are not based on immediate financial rewards.

I think minorities, particularly, feel huge pressure to conform, but you cannot feel good about yourself when you conform. Achieving diversity should include allowing each person the freedom to be different. That freedom opens up opportunities so each individual may pursue a personalized path to success. When minorities feel free to be themselves, society will be further enriched. This is where diversity needs to gravitate, perhaps. Instead of striving to ignore differences, we should spend more time striving to value them.

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Peter Suzuki is a solo practitioner working in New Jersey. His legal background encompasses law firm work, including Lowenstein Sandler, and in-house counsel experience at Lucent Technologies Inc./AT&T Corp.

During his career, he has actively supported a variety of diversity initiatives and other related programs in an effort to build a more inclusive society. He is a past president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a member of that group’s Board of Governors. He was appointed to the Governor’s Study Commission on Discrimination in Employment and Contracting; was a keynote speaker at the Whitehouse following President Clinton’s Call to Action to U.S. Lawyers on Racial and Ethnic Justice; and he served on the U.S. Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder’s Committee on Lawyers and Race.