Big Talk With Carl Weathers "Apollo Creed"

“Small talk” is defined as “polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters.” Certainly, the work of diversity and inclusion is neither and warrants much more. Accordingly, in honor of Black History Month this year, Barnes & Thornburg’s Los Angeles office decided to have some “big talk” around diversity and inclusion.

Thanks to Los Angeles office administrator, Melanie Mawema, we invited critically acclaimed actor, Carl Weathers, to join the conversation. Best known for his roles in Action Jackson®, Predator®, and Chicago Justice®, and as the iconic “Apollo Creed” in the Rocky® movie franchise, Carl sat down in front of a standing-room-only audience on Feb. 22 with our director of diversity, professional development and inclusion, Dawn Rosemond, for a fun yet candid conversation designed to challenge and elevate consciousness.

To kick things off and to jumpstart a poignant conversation about race, Carl began the conversation by reading the names of at least 50 unsung African-American trailblazers who have made significant contributions to this country. From there, he and Dawn discussed everything from being black in America (whether in the entertainment or legal industry), to black excellence, to privilege, to Apollo Creed’s death in Rocky IV.

They capped off their conversation with a call to action of sorts, reminding all in attendance that diversity and inclusion is our collective responsibility, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Salvador LaViña, Los Angeles partner, had this to say following the gathering, “[This] was a great presentation… one that our office will be discussing for years to come.”

Stay tuned, as there is more “big talk” coming!