ALI member William F. Lee of WilmerHale recently shared a troubling story of harassment that he personally experienced because he believes it is important to speak out, stand up to, and share personal accounts of such incidents, so that these actions do not become the new normal.
On his commute home from work one evening, Mr. Lee, encountered a man at a gas station who told him to “… go back to your own country.”
Mr. Lee told Susan Beck of The American Lawyer AM Law Daily that he hadn’t heard a comment like this for 40 years. He attributes the encounter to the political environment that has encouraged hostility to immigrants. “He felt he could say it,” Mr. Lee said.
Mr. Lee, whose parents came to the United States from China in the 1940s, said “I’m concerned that if this can happen in Wellesley, it’s indicative of people having similar views, whether expressed or unexpressed. It’s something we have to address as a country and as lawyers. Who knows what’s going to happen? Maybe it will be better than we hope. If not, it’s important for lawyers to be heard and stand up.”