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I have had the pleasure of appearing before Judge Randa Trapp (Ret.) on a few occasions when she was on the bench. Not only is she a brilliant jurist, but she has made history by being the “first” many times throughout her extraordinary career.
Our history is littered with pioneers for justice who fought against all odds to break barriers, which we all benefit from today. I encourage everyone to learn about these stories and also to celebrate phenomenal women in our community.
Last week, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced his retirement. President Biden thereafter reiterated his pledge to nominate what will be the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.
There have been comments suggesting that by committing to the nomination of a Black woman, we are excluding qualified white male candidates from consideration. But the Court has always considered and given preference to white men over women and people of color. Less than 10% of the justices to ever serve on the Supreme Court have been women. And we have never had a Black woman sit on the Court. The Court serves to represent the people, and therefore should reflect the diversity of our nation—both in terms of demographics and professional background. It is about time.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by more than 73%, compared to hate crimes in general, which rose by 13%. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that became the authority on gathering data on racially motivated attacks related to the pandemic, received 9,081 incident reports between March 19, 2020, and this June.
We talk a lot about the fact that often the majority of caretaking responsibilities fall on the mother. Employers frequently offer maternity leave, rather than parental leave. Even in states like California that offer generous parental or paternity leave policies, men are far less likely to take time off after the birth of a new child. Although there are many reasons for this, one I was not aware of was the fact that fathers may feel out of place, and even discriminated against, at play groups and other child-bonding activities.
Dr. Maya Angelou – the late, prolific poet and social activist – has become the first Black woman to appear on the U.S. quarter as part of the American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program.
We all know Betty White from her iconic roles in “Golden Girls,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and for her peppy personality and witty sense of humor. But what has not been written about enough is White’s staunch commitment to social justice and her utilization of her platform to lift the profile of marginalized communities.
On December 17, 2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Judge Jinsook Ohta. This makes Judge Ohta the first Asian Pacific American female judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
Since the current system of appeals courts was formed in 1891, there have been approximately 806 federal appeals court judges. None have been Korean American women.
We could not help but think how wonderful it was to be able to work with these women and also give them the opportunity to utilize their legal skills without jeopardizing other parts of their lives. I doubt this opportunity would have presented itself pre-pandemic.
