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Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are groups of employees who join together in their workplace, based on a common characteristic like ethnicity, gender, age, religious affiliation, etc. Also referred to as fraternal or affinity organizations, ERGs provide support for their members and work to enhance career development and professional networking in the workplace. The Office of Diversity & Inclusion works closely with many of these groups, and maintains a list of UCS-ERGs on the ODI website.
Meet the Tribune Society
By Lt. Charles Hollon
UCS Department of Public Safety
 The Tribune Society (formally known as The Tribune Society, Inc., of the Courts of New York) was formed in the summer of 1968 by a group of peace officers, as a fraternal organization of African Americans and other minority judicial and non-judicial court personnel. Founded more than 50 years ago, the Tribune Society is the oldest fraternal organization within the UCS. And while many court employees know of “Tribune,” they may not know its history or purpose: to consistently improve the administration of justice and ensure equal opportunity for all who work in or whom the New York Unified Court System serves.
Leah Richardson (Network/Systems Engineer, Kings County Supreme Court) joined Tribune in 1997, and she is now President of the Society. When asked about their work, Ms. Richardson’s voice filled with enthusiasm and pride: “Our efforts are to make everyone better at what they do, and treated fairly, regardless of color.”
Quarterly meetings strive to give members the professional development tools they need to move up, while promoting equal opportunity for all who work in the court system.
“The Society prides itself on assisting its members with effective communication tips and mock interviews that are conducted before applying for that promotion,” said Ms. Richardson. “This plays a large part in what the Society does. Workshop seminars have also been conducted that offer advice on how to advance professionally, and how to prepare oneself for those opportunities.”
Tribune also plays an integral part in Black History Month celebrations in the courts, most notably in Kings County, where numerous programs are held each year during the month of February, including the ever-popular Courthouse Fashion Show, featuring court employees and judges decked-out in colorful African-inspired garments.
Members of the Tribune Society doing outreach at a local food pantry.
In addition to assisting court staff, Tribune is active in the local community through mentoring programs, scholarships, charitable donations and a Holiday Toy Drive. To support these efforts, Tribune hosts a dinner-dance fundraiser; though it was paused during Covid, Ms. Richardson hopes to be able to restart this event in the future.
In closing, Ms. Richardson summed up the efforts of Tribune: “We’re all better, when we work together.”
Membership in The Tribune Society is open to all court employees. For more information go to https://tribunesociety.org.
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