I Sat in Court Today and Saw Something Beautiful

Today I had to appear in court not as a defendant, not as a witness, but as a professional. And what struck me the most wasn’t the legal arguments or the courtroom procedures. It was the faces. Every professional in the room from the judge to the court reporter to the social workers and attorneys was a woman. A diverse group of women.

Black women, White women, Latina women, Women with locs, women with short cuts, women in tailored suits, and women with soft-spoken voices holding powerful positions. All of us working. All of us showing up. All of us earning our seats.

I’ve never been someone who talks about DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in a performative way. Honestly, it doesn’t cross my mind in the way it seems to be at the forefront of every HR slide deck or corporate training. That’s not because I don’t value equity I just assume that people who’ve made it this far have earned it, especially women even more so for Black women.

DEI Didn't Give Me a Seat—I Built It

I hold multiple degrees. I run businesses. I’ve worked my butt off to get where I am. So I like to believe that most others at this level did too. When I walk into a courtroom or a boardroom, I assume I’m surrounded by competence, not handouts.

The only time I even noticed any real discrepancy was when I worked in corporate America. That’s where I’d see someone, usually not someone who looked like me, celebrated for going back to get their bachelor’s degree while holding a position higher than mine. And I’d sit there thinking, “Interesting.” Because the women who did look like me? Many of them already had master’s degrees or were in the process of earning one.

Did I get mad? No. Experience matters. Longevity matters. Wisdom should absolutely be rewarded. But I did begin to notice the imbalance in what gets celebrated and who gets excused.

What DEI Should Be

Let’s be clear: DEI isn’t supposed to be about giving unqualified people opportunities they haven’t earned. It’s about making sure qualified people aren’t passed over because of a name that sounds “too ethnic,” an accent that feels unfamiliar, or a vibe that doesn’t fit the mold.

I’ve been on both sides, hiring and being interviewed, and I’ve heard it:

“Something about them just didn’t feel like the right fit.”

No reason. No flaw. Just… vibes. That's what DEI should be working to dismantle.

We’re Not Asking for Charity; We’re Asking for Chairs

Most of us aren’t trying to force ourselves into rooms we didn’t work for. We just want our respectful seat at the table, especially when we built the legs. And truth be told, some of us are sitting at tables we don’t even want to be at. But we show up because our presence feeds our families. It creates pathways for others. And deep down, we earned that uncomfortable seat.

Today, the Room Was Full of Earned Seats

As I looked around the courtroom today, I didn’t see “diversity hires.” I saw degrees. Experience. Professionalism. Women who didn’t have to prove they belonged—they were the room. And I wish more people understood that. DEI isn’t about checking boxes. It’s about making sure qualified people from all backgrounds have a fair shot.

Today, we were there. We were enough. We were more than enough.

Rooted and Real: 🖤 – NL Miles, Integrative Wellness Coach and Field-Based Observer of Everything