MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Many people came together Saturday, Oct. 19, from across the nation to celebrate Judge Bernice Donald, the first black female judge in Tennessee.
Her dedication to justice and inclusion was honored with a street-naming ceremony, recognizing her contributions to the community.
Many people would describe Judge Bernice Donald as a trailblazer, an icon, and a legend. But she would describe herself as a wife, an aunt, and a woman of God.
"Our forefathers worked to make certain opportunities available to us and there for the taking," she said.
Donald became Tennessee's first African-American female judge in 1982 after being elected to the General Sessions Court. She was also the nation's first Black female bankruptcy judge. Her archives date back more than 40 years, and leaders from around the country came to celebrate her in a street naming ceremony.
"I have committed my life to justice and inclusion, and to have it recognized by having a street named after me, it’s just significant," she said.
A trailblazer in Memphis and across the nation, Donald said her family has shaped much of her life.
"I want to be the best person that I can be and honor my parents and honor the values that they showed me," she said. "I’m a person who loves family, who loves the Lord, loves to work in the hands God blessed me with for this purpose."
And her family couldn't agree more.
"Growing up, others had to look in textbooks; they had to look on the television, but I have the blessing in the privilege," said Falondria Wilson, Donald's niece. "I’m just looking towards my aunt as a mentor, as a friend, just as a phenomenal woman."
Donald's husband, W.L., continued, "She works harder now in resolution and arbitration, so she’s always on the go."
The stretch of roads dedicated at Saturday's ceremony between Poplar Avenue and Beale Street, now Judge Bernice Bouie Donald Street, tells the story of people who surpassed enslavement and segregation and built up a community of economic independence and the civil rights leadership. These streets chronicle a past overcome and the future made possible because of a woman who fought her entire life for change.