The latest episode of the MassBar Beat - the official podcast of
the Massachusetts Bar Association - is now available.
In "'Defamation' Courtroom Drama Encourages Dialogue
about Bias," the MassBar Beat looks at "Defamation" the play, a
touring courtroom drama written by Todd Logan, which has been
performed hundreds of times around the United States since its
debut in 2010. (To learn more about "Defamation" the play, visit www.defamationtheplay.com.)
At its core, the play is about a fictional civil lawsuit over a
claim of defamation. But the courtroom is really just the setting
for what turns out to be a thought-provoking, interactive program
about diversity that forces the audience to confront and talk about
stereotyping and perceptions of bias in the play and in our legal
system.
Last fall, the Massachusetts Bar Association was proud to
sponsor the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association's annual
presentation of "Defamation" the play to an audience of Boston-area
high school students. Many of the issues addressed in the play are
similar to the issues addressed in the MBA's recently launched CLE
series on identifying and eliminating implicit bias in the
courtroom. Sponsoring the MBLA's presentation of "Defamation" the
play offered a unique opportunity to get students talking about
bias and diversity, while also demystifying the legal system for
them at the same time.
In the this episode, hear from some of the high school students
in the audience, along with the MBLA's Stesha Emmanuel and MBA
President Jeffrey N. Catalano, as they discuss the important issues
raised in the play.
Listen to the MassBar Beat for free on iTunes, SoundCloud,
Google Play Music, Stitcher and other popular platforms. Better
yet, subscribe so you don't miss a "Beat"!
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-786227478
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/massbar-beat/id1162864329?mt=2
Google Play Music: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Ia72qzuod7fuinwt7p7ojpc5bom
TuneIn Radio: http://tunein.com/radio/MassBar-Beat-p919110
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/massbar-beat?refid=stpr