This month The Docket is highlighting Women ’ s History Month , the month in which we honor women ’ s contribution to American history . Even through the present date , we are still seeing “ firsts ” for women taking their place in American history . On the national stage , we have seen the first Black and Indian-American female vice president , Kamala Harris , breaking several other barriers as she shattered that particular glass ceiling . Stacey Abrams is another woman who will take her place in the history books as a result of registering more than 800,000 new voters in Georgia this past year , creating record-breaking democratic participation in the state amidst a pandemic . Locally , Chief Judge Kimberly Bonner made history as the first woman to serve as the chief judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit . The fact that women are still achieving many “ firsts ” shows that we still have work to do — but let ’ s also make sure we celebrate and recognize our accomplishments along the way . Looking locally for women we should celebrate during this month , my research took me to Emma E . Booker . You of course will recognize Ms . Booker ’ s name from the schools that are named in her honor : Emma E . Booker Elementary , Booker Middle , and Booker High . Ms . Booker was a local pioneer in education for Black students , beginning when she moved to the area around
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YLD PRESIDENT ’ S COLUMN
Sara Castro , Esq . Farr , Farr , Emerich , Hackett , Carr , & Holmes , P . A .
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1914 . At the time , she was instrumental in renting a hall and starting the only public school for Black children , named Sarasota Grammar . Ms . Booker led the charge to improve education for Black children in our county , eventually raising enough funds to move the school from the rented hall to its own building with four classrooms and an auditorium in 1925 . The newly-located school was named Booker Grammar School in honor of Mrs . Booker , who served as its first principal . She expanded the school to serve more students , up to the eighth grade . She was denied a request to expand the school to serve ninth grade students , being told by the district superintendent that “ an eighth-grade education was good enough for any Negro .” During her summers she pursued her bachelor ’ s degree , which she achieved in 1937 , two years before her death . Ms . Booker undoubtedly left her mark on our local history at a time when women of color faced many barriers , and she is someone we should all be familiar with as local residents .
Women have made great strides in many areas , and we still have room to improve . There are currently three United States Supreme Court justices who are women , with a total of five having served throughout the history of the Court ( out of a total of the 115 justices ). Within that context , it is understandable that the late , great Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg , a tireless advocate for women ’ s rights ,
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answered “ when there are nine ” when asked how many women on the Court is enough . This Women ’ s History Month let ’ s honor those who have paved the way before us and continue to break down barriers for those who will follow .
As always , I look forward to finally seeing you all in person at our Sarasota County Bar Association events when the time arrives . In the meantime , if you have not attended a virtual event please drop in and say hello . If you have any feedback on how we have served our members during this time or whether we can do better , I would love to hear from you and incorporate any suggestions you have into our programming . Thank you for continuing to be a valued member .
Do yourself a favor and head over to Instagram to follow SCBA . YLD !
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