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Brooklyn courts end Black History Month with fashion show

Judges and Court Employees Strut Down the Runway

March 2, 2017 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
The Brooklyn courts closed out Black History Month with a fashion show, during which judges and court employees dressed up to drop jaws. Pictured from left: Hon. Sharon A. Bourne-Clarke, Hon. Genine D. Edwards, Hon. Paul Wooten, Hon. Wavny Toussaint and Hon. Sharen D. Hudson. Eagle photo by Mario Belluomo
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The Brooklyn court system takes Black History Month seriously, and had a total of 14 events designed around this year’s theme “The Crisis in Black Education” at various courthouses in Downtown Brooklyn.

On the final day, however, the judges and court employees have a bit of fun with its fabulous Black History Month Closing Ceremony Fashion Show. The annual event has the court’s judicial and non-judicial staff dress up in designs by local merchants as they strut their stuff down the runway.

“We’ve been doing this for about 20 years and it gets harder every year, but people love it and we have a lot of fun doing it,” said Leah Richardson, co-chair of the courts’ Black History Month Committee. “These are court employees, judicial and non-judicial. It’s part of our Black History Month program, but it’s something that the public and the other court employees love. It’s something people look forward to all year.”

Richardson explained that they get the clothes for the fashion show from local Brooklyn designers, including Moshood and Tribal Truths Collection, both on Fulton Street, Ashanti Fields and Matthews Hats. This year, the show also featured the clothes of Viola Jefferson, a now-retired employee who began her own fashion line since leaving the court.

In order to get the clothes, Richardson admitted that she has to beg some of the designers to lend them clothes, but said that that real hard part of organizing the event is finding the models.

“They all seem to think that it’s America’s Next Top Model, and it’s not,” Richardson joked. “These are court employees, judicial and non-judicial. They do such a great job making it look glamourous that other people think that they can’t do it.”

Master of ceremonies Justice Robin K. Sheares has become the highlight every year, introducing — in a way that only she can — all of the employees and the clothes they wear.

“If we didn’t have Judge Sheares, with her wit and all, as the commentator, I don’t know if we would have a fashion show,” Richardson said. “She does such a terrific job in really bringing it to life.”

The event doesn’t include speeches, but Justice Lawrence Knipel, administrative judge of the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Matters, took a moment to recognize the judges and employees who helped with the committee including Richardson and her fellow co-chair Hon. Deborah Dowling.

“Thanks to the Kings County Courts’ Black History Month Committee members who have fashioned a wonderful month of outstanding activities centered around this year’s theme — “The Crisis in Black Education,’” said Knipel.

“Yesterday’s current events become today’s history which needs not only to be learned, but to be learned from,” Knipel continued. “Without this knowledge it is difficult to see how real progress can be achieved. the key is to learn from our past to achieve a brighter future.”

 

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