Hope everyone is feeling at least a little bit steady state, with all that’s going on in the world. In the U.S., we’ve had the beginning of spring and a magical solar eclipse to move us out of our typical rhythms, which can only be a good thing.
Social Impact Insights: Reflecting on the Legacy of the OJ Simpson Trial
This past week, we learned that OJ Simpson had died. If you were consuming media in the early 90s, there’s a good chance this news meant something to you. For me, it took me back to an incredibly formative time in my life. The short story is that OJ was a charismatic former football star who was a mega-celebrity of the 80s and early 90s. I of course knew who he was, but he wasn’t someone I focused on or thought about much.
In June 1994, OJ’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman were found brutally killed at Nicole’s home in Los Angeles. These were shocking deaths—especially in the context of the glamorous LA milieu in which OJ, Nicole, and Ron lived—and the murders immediately made national headlines.
I remember when I heard the news, I thought there was a very good chance it was OJ who was responsible. I had worked at an organization focused on gender and intimate partner violence, and I followed the view that there is typically reason to investigate a current or former partner in crimes like these. [I won’t regale you with the full story of the murders of Nicole and Ron, the trial, and its aftermath here, as there are more books and shows out there than we can count on this topic. I’ll share some of the resources that most resonate with me at the end of this section.]
I was in law school at the time. And I am telling you, I learned more about being a lawyer from watching and following the trial and the case than I did from actually being in law school. I would watch the pre-trial hearings and the trial itself while getting ready for class and while studying. I remember the pre-trial hearings bringing to life the Hearsay exceptions in criminal procedure, and what I watched on TV helped me understand the concept in real life terms, both for my Evidence class and later when I took the bar exam. And I learned the power of storytelling and directing the narrative from watching the OJ trial and consuming the related media.
I found Marcia Clark, the main prosecutor, riveting. I thought she was so smart and empathetic, and I felt she was treated so unfairly by the media. I didn’t have the sophistication yet to break down the misogyny of the media into a clear analysis, but I felt for her, I was inspired by her, and I wished the media had portrayed her as the compelling and compassionate lawyer whom I saw, rather than a woman doing an extremely difficult job who was hounded and ridiculed about her hairstyle.
My best friend from law school, Sofie, made me take a Moot Court/Trial Practice class with her so we could be partners for the final mock trial. I didn’t want to do it because so much about it was public speaking, but it was the best class for me, in terms of building comfort and confidence. During my mooting and prep for the final trial, I kept Marcia and her physicality in the courtroom in mind. During that final mock trial, I mis-spoke about a piece of evidence, and rather than freaking out as I might have otherwise, my mind immediately went to the times in the OJ trial where Marcia might briefly mis-speak and in a completely unbothered manner, say “Excuse me, [XYZ correction].” I channeled my inner Marcia Clark, and when we got feedback from the mock jury, they commented on my casual confidence in that moment and how it made them trust me in my role. That’s a lesson that’s always stuck with me.
As the trial went on, I remember talking about the case with one of my early legal supervisors/mentors, Arnold Ellis of Bay Area Legal Aid. Arnold and I had different POVs on the case: Arnold actually knew OJ (!!), and had grown up with him in San Francisco, and had even played high school football against OJ. A Black lawyer, Arnold also explained to me the distrust in the Black community for the police and for the criminal justice system and why it existed, especially given that Nicole and Ron were White, and OJ was Black. Arnold has passed away now, but he and I stayed in touch for a long time after I worked for him. He was the first person to teach me how to interview a client, and I learned an incredible amount from him (and from others at Bay Area Legal Aid, including Ariella Hyman and Ken Theisen, who focused specifically on domestic violence.) Arnold’s commentary on the OJ case—coming from a personal place—and his lessons on race, the law, and legal practice, are all foundational for me.
When I met my husband, Jeff, a few years later, we noted with excitement when the trial and case came up in conversation that we had both been obsessed with it. It’s been a shared mutual obsession since then. Jeff is in the world of books and publishing, and you can imagine our fluttering when he actually was working at the publishing house HarperCollins during the controversy over super-editor and ruler of her own imprint Judith Regan doing a deal with OJ for his book If I Did It. The book was almost immediately canceled, so even the new media environment spurred on by the OJ trial had its limits, in terms of what was considered to be palatable for polite society.
On a cultural level, the OJ trial truly did change the media environment and marked the beginning of a new media era. The case heralded the rise of 24/7 news coverage and talking heads who don’t always have a substantive (or even truth-based) analysis to share but who keep on talking. It also began the slow march to closure of most of the daytime soaps (I still watch The Young and the Restless.) And of course it rolled us right into reality TV, with one of Nicole’s best friends, Kris Kardashian Jenner, going on to lead a reality TV empire and building a billion-dollar business brand off that. The trial injected the emotionally immediate and voyeuristic nature of media directly into our collective veins right before the technology of the internet and social media changed everything and made that immediacy actually possible.
On a personal level, the trial shaped my legal career, in terms of the lawyering skills I learned; the analysis I came to understand around race, socio-economic class, and the criminal justice system; and the profound impact of seeing the way the media and the legal system treated the victims, Nicole and Ron, and their families. The trial deeply drove my desire to work on issue of gender-based and sexual violence. And once I was at the stage of my career when I was ready to move away from direct lawyering, the lessons from the defense team and the surrounding media environment were in the DNA of my decision to focus on storytelling and narrative advocacy for gender equity and racial justice issues, and on building up the communications strategy skills of social justice movements and organizations.
So while most people likely think of the white Ford Bronco on the freeway when they think of OJ, I always think of Marcia Clark addressing Judge Ito in a straightforward manner, making her case, and staying calm, cool, and collected. And hopefully we all think about Nicole and Ron, whose lives were so cruelly and violently cut short, and the people who loved them and lost them way too early.
For More on the Trial:
OJ: Made in America: Ezra Edelman’s ESPN/30 for 30 documentary on the murders of Nicole and Ron, and the subsequent trial.
Vanity Fair/Dominick Dunne: Dunne was a media bon vivant of the 90s, and he covered the case and the trial for Vanity Fair with flair and an insider’s analysis.
The People v. O.J. Simpson/American Crime Story: Ryan Murphy’s dramatization of the story. Fictionalized but incredibly true in its emotion and depth.
You’re Wrong About: This podcast by Sarah Marshall and Michael Hobbes has at least 10 episodes on the murders and trial. They never made it through the entire story, but the existing episodes are riveting.
Without a Doubt: Marcia Clark’s memoir of her life and the trial. I don’t align with a prosecutor’s perspective all the time, but Marcia has so much insight and she’s an important voice.
Surf Synthesis: Out of the Cold
This is the first winter I did not put on a heavy hooded winter wetsuit at all. The universe was not pushing me into my dreaded hooded suit, as all those opportunities came with either extremely strong winds or no one to hit the surf with. I love surfing alone, but I can’t do that in a heavy winter suit, because I still need help getting in and out of it, even after over a decade of winter surfing.
I’m now coming off about 6 weeks of no surfing, due to those strong winds and that lack of company. I should be able to break this unhappy streak in the next few days. In the meantime, I’ve been plotting and preparing for my return, making sure as usual that all my workouts are geared to maximizing my surf skills. I’ve been focused on my breath endurance, paddle power, and balance, and doing lots of mental visualizations. So I feel prepped and ready. It’s a good reminder that, even when we’re not being offered whatever we consider our preferred scenario, we can be whiling away in prep, getting ourselves ready for the opportunity as it arises. Wish me luck as I paddle out again, hopefully by the time you read this!
Tarot Inspiration: The 7 of Wands
I’ve been thinking about the Wands a lot lately, as I’ve tended to have a few different Wands show up in readings for myself when I’ve had questions on my mind about where I want to put my energy. The Wands are the suite of creativity: creative energy, creative will, and creative desire. They represent the spark you have within your own mind, and how that spark feeds you.
Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been thinking about the Wands that have shown up in some of my most profound readings when I’ve asked about my creative spark. Then in late January, I received a feature on the 7 of Wands from the email newsletter of Biddy Tarot, one of the tarot instructors I’ve learned a lot from over the years. Biddy’s email reminded me of an important reading I received a few years ago that featured three Wands in my 3-card reading. The 7 was one of them, and her email renewed my focus on this particular card.
And then a few weeks ago, on the Spring Equinox, a close friend who also reads tarot reminded a few of us to pull a card, as that’s an auspicious day for readings. Grateful for the reminder, I was happily stunned when I pulled the 7 of Wands. The universe was clearly sending me a message: I need to keep evaluating where I spend my creative energy and to draw lines around protecting my creative spirit. I think of it as reminding me to hold the line on the creative progress I’ve made, and working to draw more creative energy into my mind. Biddy’s take on the 7 of Wands inspired me to think of it as defending your creative position—and the impact you make via leveraging it—from outside distractions.
That’s probably an important reminder for all of us, as the world—especially right now— is constantly sending us messages and drops of information that genuinely require our immediate attention, empathy, and action, but that also drain us, and even scare us. Sending my best to all of you as we hold our energetic boundaries close so we can focus on what’s right and what truly makes an impact.
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| Founder + Principal, Apsara ProjectsABOUT APSARA PROJECTS: We are a boutique social impact consultancy where culture meets strategy to make impact. We use a unique three-prong approach combining change management, communications strategy, and building an Equity Mindset to guide our clients. We partner with them to strengthen their vision and values as they build resilience and navigate change.
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Over the past few years, we have partnered with clients on restructuring and scaling growth; supporting transitions in organizational leadership; branding and organizational identity; integrating racial equity as a muscle to flex; and strategic planning on mission and value proposition. Visit our website for more information and get in touch by replying to this email or connecting via LinkedIn.
Great Story telling skills!
Very insightful.
Congratulations!😘
Was absolutely riveted by the OJ Simpson trial, and all the subsequent storylines, theories, media takes, books, tv programming, and of course, personal conversations. Really great newsletter, Juhu - full of fascinating insights and reflections, both from a culture perspective, but also on how it impacted your early days legal career.